It Takes a Shrimp
by speedgriffon
Summary: Haruhi befriends a new neighbor and quickly gets her swept up into the crazy lifestyle that is the Ouran High School Host Club. Lessons of love, life and true pranks are learned. Also, Mori! (Remix in the works!)
1. Shrimp?

_A/N: This is my first fan-fic based off of a manga/anime. I have been writing fan-fic for ages, however, so stick with me. Also, I am open for suggestions and especially corrections of my horrible Japanese. So please, leave me some comments! :D_

**There is now a remixed/retooled (whatever you want to call it) version that you can find through my profile!**

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><p>The breeze outside had been a lot nicer than Haruhi expected when she stepped outside that morning. Already, she was waking up early in anticipation for her semester to start at Ouran Academy. Still, she felt a sense of sadness that the summer had floated by without as much studying as she would have liked. Today was the last day of early morning shopping and while her friends always seemed confused by her love of sale shopping, she found it an ordinary day. When Haruhi reached the bottom of the stairs in her apartment complex, however, she found a young girl picking up what looked like a heavy box from the trunk of a car. Pausing only for a second, she approached.<p>

"Do you need any help?"

The girl looked up and stated at Haruhi in surprise before chewing on her lip. Haruhi took her pause and stared, also bewildered by the obvious foreigner standing in front of her. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled into a comical side pony-tail and the baby-doll dress she wore seemed inappropriate for the work she was doing.

"Sorry," the girl paused and held a finger to her lips. "My Japanese is bad," the girl finally stated.

Haruhi widened her eyes, and then offered to hold the other side of the large box. Slowly the two girls started walking to an apartment on the lower level of Haruhi's complex. Silently they moved and the strange girl smiled as they plopped the box down inside her apartment. Dusting her hands on each other, Haruhi extended her arm to the stranger.

"My name is Haruhi, what's yours?" she purposely tried to keep her sentences un-complicated. The girl smiled.

"Evie, but there's no character for the 'v' in my name so…" she paused, and blushed, almost seemingly embarrassed. "It's Ebi for now," Haruhi stared.

"Shrimp?" she pondered. Ebi stared wide eyed at her before Haruhi bowed apologetically. "So sorry, I didn't mean to..." Ebi shook her head and waved her hands in front of her.

"It's ok," she smiled brightly. "Thank you," she finally said as the two walked back outside. Haruhi watched as Ebi locked her door and looked around. "Where is the nearest supermarket?" she asked.

Haruhi knew better to excuse her broken Japanese. The girl was obviously not used to using it, but seemingly knew enough. She grinned.

"I'll show you," Haruhi led the Ebi girl down the street, and watched as the girl observed everything around her while absentmindedly clinging to her messenger bag. "I don't mean to pry,"

"I'm half Japanese, that's how I'm able to talk to you," she laughed before her smile faltered a bit. "But I'm also half American so don't think too badly of me,"

Haruhi couldn't tell if she was joking. "Why would I?"

The two girls continued to walk until they reached the supermarket. Haruhi continued to be impressed by the girl, who seemed to pick up more Japanese the more she interacted with her environments. Haruhi learned that the girl was actually a lot older than her, a high school graduate at 18, on vacation in Japan for a year until she returned to the United States to enroll in a University.

"I'm staying with my father," Ebi explained as the two girls walked the path back to the complex they shared, arms full of groceries. "I haven't seen him in years, but he's always been a busy man," she talked and Haruhi didn't mean to ignore her, but as she peered ahead towards her complex she froze and felt her face heat up the sight of forging and expensive cars.

"Oh no," she mumbled. Ebi stopped and stared back at her.

"Did I upset you?" she asked. Haruhi smiled at the girl's politeness. Haruhi shook her head and looked at her new friend.

"I'm sorry," she barely got out before there was the sound of running and a strange scene of flowers and bunnies.

"HARU-CHAN!"

Ebi watched as a little boy ran up to Haruhi and wrapped his arms around her waist, knocking a few bags out of her grasp. She was about to lean forward to try and grasp the bags when they were caught by a taller man who looked at her with silent eyes. Ebi gulped as he held her eyes for a second before looking back at the boy.

_Is that a ninja? _

Ebi stood awkwardly next to Haruhi as the little boy chatted in such a fast manner she couldn't keep up before Haruhi shooed him away just enough to look back at her. Ebi chewed on her lips.

"Help," Haruhi seemed to be melting away, but Ebi found herself lost as she followed Haruhi being dragged away by the small blonde boy towards the complex. Before she could go any further the tall man turned back to her.

"…"

Ebi didn't know what to say and before she knew it the stranger took the grocery bags from her arms and walked away. Ebi found her hands wrapped around the strap of her messenger bag as she walked towards Haruhi, noticing the large group congregated around the complex.

"Haruhi, why didn't you tell us you were going to the supermarket?" a tall blonde boy seemed to be completely saddened by Haruhi, something Ebi didn't understand.

"Yeah, we love following you," two boys circled Haruhi next, talking at the same time.

_Twins?_

"Haru-chan, did you bring back any cake?" the small boy asked, smiling. The tall man peered inside the bags in front of him before looking at Haruhi. Another man, in glasses looked over, noticing the odd girl standing aside from the group.

"Haruhi, do you have a friend you'd like to introduce?"

Ebi gulped, not expecting this kind of occurrence to happen on her first day in Japan. Haruhi offered an apologetic smile before moving to stand next to the taller girl.

"This is Ebi Kochi; she's a half-Japanese girl from America here on a yearlong vacation before she starts University next fall," Haruhi looked at Ebi before looking at her friends, all, with the exception of Mori, hunched over with gaping expressions.

Ebi suddenly found herself dipped into an embrace, her pony tail falling as a man's face came close to hers.

"Such beauty is hard to find in the world, and yet I find it here in your eyes," Ebi blinked at the blonde man speaking to her. He brought her back up but still held her hands in his. "I am Tamaki Suoh and any friend of my daughter is a friend to this family, especially a beautiful one like you,"

Ebi raised an eyebrow at Haruhi.

"Father?" she pondered. Before she could regain her footing, however, she found two arms slithering around her waist, a chill going up her spine.

"We are the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Karou," the two beamed as they looked at her face-on. "Can you tell the difference?"

Ebi stepped backwards before finding that somebody was tugging on her bag. Looking down, she found the small blonde boy clutching a stuffed rabbit.

"Did you bring cake?" he beamed before turning his head to the side and giggling. Ebi looked franticly back at Haruhi who was being harassed by the Tamaki person.

"That is Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but we refer to him as 'Hunny'," the man in glasses spoke. Ebi nodded and looked to the tallest of the group, who was still holding the groceries as he stared at Hunny. "That is his guardian Takashi Morinozuka, or 'Mori',"

Haruhi appeared next to Ebi again and looked at the man in glasses. "That is Kyoya, and all of these guys are my friends," Haruhi smiled at the lot. "We go to school together,"

Ebi watched as Haruhi talked to her friends before realizing that her father's car had disappeared from the lot and frowned. She stepped aside towards the downstairs railing before she felt a hand on her shoulder. Haruhi was offering her a smile and when Ebi glanced back, so were her friends.

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" she asked. Ebi paused in thought before nodding and watching as tall man known as Mori followed her to her apartment to place her groceries down before leaving. Ebi waited with the taller man and other boys on the sidewalk, feeling awkward without Haruhi, even if it was only for a few moments.

"So we know you aren't in high school," Ebi glanced up as one of the twins spoke. "But how old are you, exactly," the other one asked.

"18," she spoke. Hunny beamed in front of her.

"So am I!" he shouted. Ebi felt her facial features falter before she head Haruhi interrupt.

"Don't hassle her too much, Hunny," she looked at Ebi. "She's new to our country,"

Ebi sighed before Haruhi took her hand and urged her to get into one of the estate cars, Ebi still confused about the entire last hour or so. Was she being kidnapped? Smiling to herself, she adjusted her side pony-tail and settled down between Haruhi and Hunny. Across from them sat Mori and Tamaki, the later frowning.

"Haruhiiiii," he moaned. "Why aren't you sitting next to daddy?" he whined. Ebi chuckled as the two started a strange play fight in the back seat. She peered to Hunny who seemed distracted by his bunny before glancing at Mori, who had indecently been staring at her when she looked over. Unlike most men, he didn't shift his eyes away as soon as she found him out. She found her cheeks strangely hot before she broke the contact and looked down at her hands.

It was going to be an interesting year.


	2. Cupcake Surprises

AN: I am forever grateful for the comments I have received so far. I don't really want to give spoilers because I feel it turns readers away, but know this; this story will focus on more than one relationship and I will try to stay truthful to the way the characters were written but also keep the randomness as well. I suppose this can be taking place towards the end of the manga where so much is changing but before Mori and Hunny graduate. Also, Ebi actually is my Japanese name, according to my grandmother, since there is no 'V' character, I write my name as Ebi; or shrimp.

Haruhi smiled as Ebi observed the restaurant they were currently seated it. She seemed mesmerized by the Kaiten, and Haruhi suddenly realized being with Ebi was going to be just like being with the Host Club.

"I've never actually been to a genuine revolving sushi bar," Ebi mumbled, glancing at Haruhi.

Haruhi sighed as she sat down next to the girl, Tamaki sitting down next to her, holding an equally mesmerized.

"Takashi! They have cake!" Hunny seemed excited about the cheesecake platter that passed by, and quickly grabbed it to the table.

"Hey look Haruhi," Karou grabbed a plate and put it front of her.

"Giant tuna!" Hikaru yelled. Ebi looked over at the plate before staring as the boys started piling as many plates as they could onto the table. Haruhi caught her glance.

"Help yourself," she assured. Haruhi regretted her comment and watched as in almost a inhumane way Ebi started stuffing her face with everything from tuna rolls to . Kyoya seemed to notice and stared at Haruhi as if to tell her that Ebi's bill would actually Haruhi's debt to the club. She shook her head, not bothered.

"Another girl who loves food more than company," Karou mentioned, looking at Ebi with a smile. Haruhi paused from eating as well and the two girls paused and grinned at each other. Ebi took a break, her hand meeting the back of her neck.

"The sushi found in the states will never compare to this," she admitted. Tamaki leaned dramatically over Haruhi, inches away from Ebi's face.

"What's it like in America, Ebi-chan?" he whispered, somewhat mesmerized by her. Hunny bounced in his seat, making Mori hold his head to still him.

"Yeah, Ebi-chan! Tell us,"

Haruhi sighed, shaking her head. "You don't have to tell them if you don't feel comfortable,"

"Well," Ebi paused, drawing circles with her finger on the table in front of her. "People are not as nice as this to treat a complete stranger to a meal and offer their friendship,"

Haruhi felt like fainting. _Again with the politeness. _

"You're so _cuuuute_, Ebi-chan!" Hunny yelled, before giving her a plate of cake.

Ebi leaned back in the booth and sighed, watching as the twins split their last roll and how Mori moved his strawberries from his cake to Hunny's. She then looked to Kyoya as he placed his chopsticks down, showing that he was finished for the night. Turning her head to see Tamaki, he was beaming over Haruhi, who was being harassed by the twins once more.

_I could get used to this_.

Ebi learned on the way home that Haruhi attended a prestigious school known as Ouran academy with her friends that were far from ordinary school boys, but members of rich and noble families, something that occasionally caused tides to change within the club. However, Ebi was even more confused when Haruhi told her that she was attending the school as a boy, in order to pay the debt she owed the Host club. After feeling that she was dreaming and even pinching her wrist in front of the group she came to terms and agreed to their request that she visit the next day.

"I'll make sure you are escorted and not treated in too much of a terrible way," Haruhi spoke as the two girls walked towards Ebi's apartment. The boys had taken too long to say goodbyes and Ebi was exhausted. They talked for a few more minutes after they were left alone and Ebi smiled as Haruhi talked about her friends and her 'senpai'.

"Haruhi, do you like Tamaki?" she asked, Haruhi's eyes widening as she realized what had just been asked. Ebi raised her arms up defensively. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said something like that,"

Haruhi blushed before sighing. "It's ok," she offered her friend a wave goodbye. "You'll fit in just fine!"

Haruhi sighed as she walked around the third music room, bringing guests their tea instead of attending to her regular customers. Today Ebi was going to visit, and she thought it would be better for Ebi's sake if there was somebody who could give her attention instead of her sitting alone. Today Kyoya decided there would be no theme, as pressured by Haruhi, that they did not want to scare off Ebi. Tamaki agreed, knowing that Ebi's friendship was vital to Haruhi's self-preservation of a girl.

"She likes butterflies and kittens and the color yellow," Kyoya spoke, watching as the twins captured another audience with their 'brotherly love' act. Haruhi shook her head at Kyoya.

"I won't even ask," her eyes darted then to the door that was slowly peeking open, and she noticed the blonde girl out of uniform entering, many of the customers glancing over to stare at the very out of place girl. Before Haruhi could approach her, another blonde boy ran past her.

"Ebi-chan!" Hunny beamed as he hugged Ebi's waist, tilting his head back with his eyes closed and mouth agape. In Ebi's eyes, he looked ridiculous. Ebi's footing faltered and she leaned forward, the box in her hands slipping from her grip. However, where there's Hunny, there is bound to be…

"Takashi! Thank you for catching Ebi-chan's box!" Hunny beamed at the taller man who was holding the bright yellow box flat in one hand. Ebi instinctively grabbed the strap of her messenger bag before looking over at the room of women staring at her. Then, she heard the comforting voice of Haruhi.

"Don't worry, Ebi-chan, we will introduce you,"

Tamaki stood up from his usual loveseat and opened his arms wide, attracting all the female eyes in his direction.

"We have an honorable guest, a girl from America, who is not our sempai, but our friend!" he announced, before stepping towards Ebi and producing a rose from who knows where. He shoved it in her face and she winced, but Tamaki did not notice. "Be as kind to her as I am to you," he finally spoke. Ebi finally sneezed, directing her mouth into her hand.

"I'm allergic," she mumbled, backing up into the closed door. Tamaki was instantly in his corner, a dark rain cloud posted above him. "I didn't mean to…" Ebi stared at Haruhi before Kyoya urged the guests to continue in their conversations. The attention was off of Ebi.

"He'll get over it," Haruhi urged before ushering her to a seat on the larger couch. Hunny sat next to her on one side while Mori occupied the other. Ebi watched as Haruhi sat across from them, a bright smile on her face as she poured the tea. Ebi looked around at the other girls in their fancy and expensive school uniform before acknowledging her own appearance; a knee length short-sleeved, floral print dress she had bought for $20 back in the states. Her hair was not groomed in a fancy way either; rather it hung in a low side ponytail, a lot calmer than her usual high one. Her thoughts were cut off as Hunny leaned forward to catch her gaze.

"What did you bring, Ebi-chan?" he asked, somewhat quietly. Slowly Ebi watched as a few of what she figured as Hunny's fan girls circled around the couches, some sitting down next to Haruhi. Ebi flinched as Mori placed the box in her lap before sighing, gaining her composure.

"I figured because you like sweets so much that I would bake you some of my specialty cupcakes," she spoke before opening the box to reveal six large cupcakes, all decorated in different ways. Hunny's eyes got so big that Ebi figured his brain was going to explode. Hunny grabbed a plate and watched as Ebi placed a cupcake on it and watched as he began to devour it. The fan girls went crazy and Ebi watched as Haruhi smirked. While Hunny ate, she turned to Mori and lifted the box slightly.

"Would you like one, Mori-san?" she smiled and what seemed like a normal gesture to her, made the entire host club stop what they were doing. Mori nodded. Ebi flinched again as the fan girls went crazy again, swooning as Ebi placed a cupcake on Mori's plate. The scene carried Haruhi and Ebi away, pushing them towards an empty spot in the room.

"Sorry, what did I do?" Ebi asked, looking back as the girls fawned over Mori eating the sweet. Haruhi was about to speak when Ebi felt an arm slither around her waist.

"You made Mori-sempai eat a sweet…" Hikaru.

"…something that never happens," Karou.

Another arm wrapped around her upper back and Haruhi seemed just as horrified as Ebi was by the twins. Ebi felt her heart race and stared at Haruhi, begging silently for help.

"You know," the twins spoke in unison as they both leaned towards each of her ears. Ebi clenched her fists into her dress.

"If you aren't careful…" Karou.

"…you'll make us do something we've never done,"

Haruhi finally cracked and leaned forward but the twins caught on, lifting Ebi up and running towards the other room, where the dressing areas were. She panicked and looked at Hunny and Mori before pointing in the direction of the scheming twins.

"Mori-senpai, help!" she screamed.

Ebi suddenly shifted from two arms to one and found herself against a chest, an arm tucked under her. She looked up to find Mori, silently walking her back to the couch Haruhi was sitting at before.

_He must be a ninja_.

She dusted off her dress before looking back to find the twins high-fiving each other. Haruhi looked at her friend.

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled, and moved her to the other side of the room where there wasn't such a commotion.

Hunny tugged at Mori's jacket and beamed.

"Takashi, do you like Ebi-chan?"

The composed man took a note from Tamaki and widened his eyes before turning around, a cloud appearing over his head. Hunny giggled before handing another plate of sweets to him, urging him to sit down.

"Karou, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Hikaru looked to his brother as the two watched over the scene unfolding before them in the music room. Karou nodded at his brother.

"It's turned back into a romantic comedy, and we're the supporting cast," he joked. Hikaru glared slightly.

"It's time to put ourselves back in the spotlight,"

The two were about to plot their biggest act ever; a plan that would really 'stir the plot'.


	3. To Outwit the Rain

A/N: So I am blessed by the reviews I have been getting and thank you all . Furthermore, I have some big plans for this story, so stick with me! Again, don't expect to get a hint from me what is going to happen! However, the plot thickens!

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><p>The club meeting had gone on a lot longer than any of the members thought it would, but Haruhi was surprised that Ebi hadn't ran out screaming in surrender. She had watched her talk to the members and even with the female students. Still, it had been a hectic day, and Haruhi knew that Ebi and she would be able to spend some <em>normal<em> time with somebody she wanted to be friends with. Ebi had been sitting at an unoccupied couch as the members finished up escorting their guests out of the room.

"Ebi-san," Haruhi started, looking at the girl. Ebi glanced up, her expression rather calm for somebody who had just experienced their first Host Club gathering. "I noticed that your father is still out of town, as is mine," Haruhi offered a smile. "Would you like to join me for dinner?"

Ebi was about to reply when Tamaki appeared, gripping Haruhi's hands between his own, and his face inches away from hers.

"Oh Haruhi! I would be so honored to eat a dinner prepared by you!" he beamed, but it didn't last.

"I wasn't inviting you," Haruhi grunted, her eyes blackening. Ebi giggled as Tamaki landed back in his corner of brooding. She stood up next to Haruhi.

"If you don't mind, Haruhi, I won't mind," she looked over at the inquisitive Host members who had caught wind of the conversation. Haruhi seemed to falter before lowering her head.

_You aren't helping._

Haruhi sighed as the group congregated, the boys too excited to spend a night at her residence, when all she wanted was to get to know Ebi. Haruhi walked as slowly as she could up her stairs, a rumbling cloud of giddiness behind her. Once through the doors, the boys did their usual embarrassing assessment of commoner living before she noticed Ebi staring at her.

"Do you need any help?" she asked. Haruhi found herself cut off before she even spoke.

"I will help you Haruhi! Family must prepare meals together!" Tamaki. Haruhi rolled her eyes before letting him follow her to the kitchen. Ebi gulped and walked over to where the other boys were sitting, rather relaxed in the living area. Hunny was busy playing with his Bun-Bun while Mori quietly observed, Kyoya sitting rather patiently while the twins both held their gaze on her.

"What's America _really_ like?" Ebi gulped, not fully sure which one really did ask her. She sat down on her knees and placed her hands on her lap before smiling, knowing the two were jokesters.

"Our schools have no uniforms and all the poor people are forced to live in the same place and if you question the government, they kill you," she paused as Hunny's face dropped, as well as the twins. "Kidding," she mumbled, earning a smirk from both Kyoya and Mori. Karou rolled his eyes.

"What a cutie," he elbowed his brother who directed his attention to the two people fussing in the kitchen, Tamaki taking the 'playing house' game too far. Ebi chewed on her lip, nervous about what she was witnessing. Hunny scooted closer to her.

"I think your cute too, Ebi-chan!"

"Not as cute as my Haruhi!" Tamaki beamed from the kitchen, bringing over a large pot of what looked like stew. Ebi smirked, not taking any offense; she already could see though his façade of 'fatherly love'. Karou caught her eyes for a moment, almost understanding that she had caught onto the situation.

The group ate in mild silence, the occasional question being made about living in America.

"What's the one thing you miss about America?" Kyoya asked, albeit quite out of character for him to be so inquisitive.

"Fried chicken," Ebi joked, earning a laugh from Haruhi. She shook her head. "My cat, Ori," she frowned. "I couldn't bring him with me," The group got silent for a moment and Ebi felt the awkwardness. "But taking care of my father is just as bad,"

Finally some laughter before Haruhi flinched at a sound from outside. Immediately Tamaki's face faltered, as well as Hikaru's.

"Oh no!" Hunny mumbled, Haruhi flinching again as in the distance thunder was heard. Ebi lowered her eyes before looking at her friend.

"It's ok… I'm afraid of the…" the lights flickered and Ebi wondered if her life had suddenly turned into a farce. What strange dimension did she step into when she moved to Japan? "…dark," she finished as the lights finally cut out, Haruhi and Ebi both finding themselves fighting their fears in front of their friends.

Ebi gulped as Tamaki and Hikaru fought over who would console Haruhi and observed Hunny cling to Mori who seemed unaffected by the situation.

"Haru-san," Ebi called, but did not receive an answer as thunder crashed again, this time making the entire group flinch. "Does anybody have a flashlight?" she asked. Haruhi finally shook her head before Ebi gulped. "I have one downstairs," she mumbled, moving her legs to stand up. "Uhh,"

Thunder clapped again and Haruhi yelped, Tamaki and Hikaru again clutching her, the two boys' death glaring the entire time. Ebi sighed as she finally stood before looking for any help. Kyoya did not give her a glance, and although Mori did, he was preoccupied by Hunny, who also seemed scared.

"I'll go with you, if that's what you were waiting for,"

Ebi watched as the other twin stood up, ruffling his hair and offering a smile. Ebi sighed again before walking towards the door, her eyesight limited by the darkness. Outside, she found herself in a black-hole, almost literally with the local lamp-posts also powered down. She felt a hand land on her shoulder and she flinched, before remembering it was one of the twins. He smiled in the darkness and the two walked downstairs and into Ebi's apartment where she grabbed four flashlights, three more than any normal household needed. They were about to leave when Karou remembered the slight crack Ebi had made towards the twins and grabbed her, leaning in so she could see his face.

"Say, Ebi-chan," Ebi raised her eyebrow at the honorific but also gulped at his close proximity. "Would me kissing you help your fear of the dark?" he asked, his smile slowly turning into a smirk. Ebi knew how to handle this.

"Hardly," she chuckled as his face faltered. "I don't even know which twin you are," Karou frowned but did not move.

"That's a little mean, don't you think?" he asked. Ebi tried to keep a large smile, but finally sighed and raised her hand to his shoulder.

"I'm kidding," she let her eyes find his. "Haruhi told me how to tell the difference, but I'm still learning," she grinned. "You're Karou," she finally spoke.

Karou gulped before leaning back up and laughing softly. "Are you flirting with me?" he slyly spoke, finally allowing Ebi to lead the way out of her apartment and back up the stairs, flashlights in hand. Ebi scoffed, turning to him at the top of the staircase.

"No," she answered, with a confusing (to Karou) wink. He seemed dumbfounded and Ebi prided herself in knowing she had finally won. "Got you," she spoke, and Karou realized he had been played.

"Are you even afraid of the dark?" he asked. Ebi nodded but changed the subject immediately.

"Will you help me hook Tamaki-san and Haruhi up?" she asked softly, stepping towards the door. Karou sighed, stopping her. Ebi looked at his hand on her shoulder.

"No can do, by better half likes Haruhi too much to let her go to _that_ idiot," Ebi frowned, and instantly Karou felt something he'd never felt before; guilt. "But-"

"What if I help you find somebody to replace Haruhi in Hikaru's mind?" she offered. Karou was already amazed by this girl. She didn't seem like the cunning type but already she had managed to outwit him. He smiled, genuinely.

"What if you don't succeed?" he wagered. Ebi laughed before turning around.

"I'll let you kiss me,"

Karou felt his brain explode.

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><p>Ebi couldn't help but smile at her own personality blooming; she was never able to be this way in the states, her friends didn't care too much for her pranks and sarcasm, but already she found herself connecting to the boys in a way she didn't find possible. Though it was a school night, the group stayed over at Haruhi's, and it wasn't until the storm passed at midnight did Haruhi, and her loyal protectors Tamaki and Hikaru, fall asleep. She had to admit her wager with Karou was going to be a tough one, as she didn't know any other girls, but knew nothing was impossible. She was about to snuggle into the futon Haruhi had prepared before rain hit the window and her eyes sparkled. The apartment was quiet, with the exception of Hikaru and Karou's synchronized snoring, and she knew she wouldn't be noticed if she stepped outside to see he rain.<p>

It was a calm rain, neither windy nor freezing, but not humid either, Ebi sighed as she leaned against the railing, feeling a few raindrops hit her face. She wanted more though, and cursed her neediness as she leaned her entire upper half over the ledge and lost her footing. Her stomach fluttered however, at the feel of hands at her waist, pulling her back up from what could have been a deadly fall. She turned just as the grip was loosening and found…

"Are you a ninja?" Ebi finally asked, staring up at Mori as he blinked at her for a moment before offering a small but tight smile. Ebi couldn't help but smile back as her stomach slightly calmed.

_Somewhere, a fan-girl is squealing in her sleep_.


	4. Love Squared

A/N: I know I said I wouldn't drop hints but as I was fully planning out the story I totally changed my ideas about a few things. But wait, there's more! (You'll just have to read to find out what I'm talking about).

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><p>Haruhi spent the next few weeks a lot happier than usual, watching as Ebi got more acquainted with the Host Club and its members, but also with her. She couldn't help but wonder where the sudden burst of personality came from, but remembered a time where she hid herself from the club before she found confidence. Already she could tell things were changing; Ebi seemed to get along with both Kyoya and Mori; an almost impossible feat. Though, Haruhi was seriously impressed with how much she clicked with Karou. The twins had already started to find their own ground as Haruhi got to know them, but it seemed that Ebi was helping in directing them in their own direction. Haruhi smiled; yesterday Ebi had visited again and finally met Renge, who congratulated her on breaking Mori. Ebi then teased her after pointing out her obvious crush on Kyoya, something that surprisingly made even Kyoya earn a red tint to his cheeks. Ebi had managed to break the club in a way that, Haruhi had to admit, was needed.<p>

Approaching her apartment, she saw Ebi seeing off her father once more, standing as his car drove off again. Turning around, the two girls greeted each other with a smile.

"Haru-chan," Ebi invited Haruhi in, and slowly, the two girls found themselves drinking tea while immersed in 'girl talk', something Haruhi wasn't used to, even with Mei.

Though, Haruhi found calmness in the way Ebi talked about her troubles adjusting to Japanese life, and even though they had known each other for less than a month, Ebi found confidence in speaking to Haruhi about the boys of the Host Club. Haruhi couldn't help but notice the way she talked about her prank on Karou and the way they had been plotting against each other in an innocent way. Haruhi looked at her new friend.

"Do you like Karou-chan?"

Ebi didn't miss a beat in answering, as she pulled the tea cup away from her face.

"Is that revenge for me asking if you like Tama-san?" Ebi smirked at Haruhi's dumbfounded expression before letting her smile falter. "To be honest, he reminds me too much of an ex-boyfriend who liked to joke around too much,"

Haruhi understood and it was the last she mentioned it. However, it didn't stop Ebi from prying Haruhi for her emotions. After lightly arguing in a playful way for an hour about their emotions held for the boys of the Host Club, Haruhi left for upstairs, impressed by how well she got along with Ebi. Tomorrow, Ebi would visit the group again, and hopefully, she'd be able to offer her some more advice on reading the group in the expert way Ebi did.

* * *

><p>Ebi couldn't believe her eyes when she walked through the doors of the 3rd music room, finding the members of the host club dressed up in ancient roman garb, silk linen hanging everywhere in sight. When she entered the room, she wasn't noticed at first, but the minute her low heels clicked against the marble towards the table where Hunny sat, the short ball of energy leapt towards her in his dark blue toga.<p>

"Ebi-chan!" he beamed the same way he did every time Ebi visited and looked lovingly at the box she held. "Did you bring cupcakes again?" Ebi smiled before nodding; handing the box over before walking with him back to the table he had been tending to his guests. Mori politely stood up as she approached and bowed slightly, making Ebi feel nothing but nervous. She was about to take a seat when a pair of arms yanked her away, twirling her around into a dip. She was suddenly faced with a pair of golden eyes and the noise of swooning girls.

"How could you not say hello to your most beloved?" Karou. Ebi offered a grin before pushing him to let her stand. Hikaru soon followed, but latched himself onto Karou.

"But how could you leave me for another, Karou?" and so began the 'brotherly love' act.

Ebi turned as she heard a cough from behind her and turned to see Mori still standing behind an empty seat. She apologetically smiled and took a seat, finding Kyoya next to her, typing away at his laptop. Already she could tell he was always calculating and never did anything unless it benefited him; except when Renge was around. She watched as the girl walked from a table with an eager grin, a platter of tea cups assorted on it.

"Kyoya-senpai, would you like some tea?"

Kyoya was about to dismiss the girl before he glanced up and noticed who it was. With the smallest smile he nodded and Renge sat next him, her usual over-zealous personality calmed down. Ebi watched for a few moments before finally, Haruhi found her and the girls congregated somewhere else. Haruhi seemed to notice the strange connection between the two 'managers' of the Host Club. Ebi thought about the plan she had with Karou.

"Haruhi," Ebi started, lowering her voice without drawing too much attention to herself. The younger girl looked at her attentively. "Will you help me get Kyoya and Renge together?" she asked, feeling a bit of adrenaline pass through her.

Haruhi felt her lips twitch before realizing that a game that sounded so similar to something the twins planned actually sounded pretty… fun. She nodded and the two shared a menacing grin. They kept talking before a voice was heard behind them.

"Haruhi,"

Mori appeared between them with a plate, one of Ebi's cupcakes on them.

"Would you like some?" he asked, holding as straight of a face as he could for his reputation. Haruhi chuckled before walking back over to her guests. Ebi smiled, taking the plate from Mori and stared at the cupcake for a moment.

"Th-"

"Thanks, Ebi-chan!"

Ebi watched as a hand grabbed at her cupcake, and then observed as the twin she learned to be Karou bit into it, a devilish grin devouring his face. Mori's eye twitched and Ebi laughed slightly, holding her arm up defensively.

"It's ok, Mori-san," she smiled up at him, earning a calmer expression. "I can always bake more," With a silent nod, he walked back to Hunny. Ebi then looked at Karou who was finishing up his sweet. He was dressed in a deep red toga, and almost looked too flashy with the amount of jewelry he was wearing.

"I was thinking," he started, before inching closer. Ebi rolled her eyes.

"It's nice to know you have a brain," she joked back. He didn't falter.

"Join me on a date tonight, since it's the weekend,"

Ebi raised an eyebrow. "What's the catch?" she asked, looking over at the commotion Tamaki was raising over how cute Haruhi looked in her Roman outfit. Karou beamed at her and pointed over at the two she had already been looking at, an arm slung over her shoulder.

"They are coming with us," he leaned more over her shoulder and grinned even more. "I convinced Haru-chan to ask him to join her," Ebi turned, her eyes a little wide.

"What about Hikaru?" she asked. Karou brought her closer.

"That's what we have Mori and Hunny for!"

Ebi sighed as the twin left her side, and turned once more to find the quiet Kyoya smiling a little too much at Renge before looking back at the wooing girls surrounding Tamaki as he resorted back to his princely act. Tonight suddenly seemed like a chore than something fun.

* * *

><p>The minute Haruhi set eyes on Ebi and Karou she could have sworn that the outing between them and her and Tamaki had to be listed as 'operation double-date' somewhere in the Hitachiin's planner, if he even had one. So far, Haruhi had been spending an hour tending to an overly nervous Tamaki, who seemed to be taking the outing far too seriously than he needed to be. It wasn't going to be a private date between the two of them, and in Haruhi's mind it could hardly be classified as a date either way. However, the feeling in her gut changed when she saw how cutely Ebi had dressed, her hair down for once, her curls accenting a green dress she wore. Karou was wearing a similar shade of green underneath an open button up and the way they ran towards her and Tamaki seemed to giddy for real life.<p>

"Sorry we're late boss," Karou spoke, lightly laughing at Tamaki's nervous nature.

"Oh, never mind that, I was just admiring the Ferris wheel!" he shouted, looking up at the tall structure. Ebi elbowed Karou a bit before skipping towards Haruhi.

"Let's link arms and go!" she shouted, grabbing Haruhi's arm before letting Karou grab hers. Anxiously, Tamaki stood waiting for Haruhi to respond, and after a sigh, she held onto him, making the blonde Frenchman become red in the face. They walked a few feet towards the Ferris wheel when Ebi noticed the crowd and then a perfect opportunity. She unlinked from Haruhi and there was a bit of a question in the form of a head turn, but Ebi smiled and stopped walking, watching as Haruhi became distracted by Tamaki's ramblings. Karou looked down at Ebi as the crowd separated the couple from them.

"Smooth,"

* * *

><p>Hunny thought it would be easy to keep Hikaru contained at the park with the help of Mori, but the usual quiet and refined man had turned into a silent nervous wreck, tripping over his feet and not responding to Hunny when he said something. So far the group had followed the lone Haruhi and Tamaki, but soon they realized they wouldn't be needed; Haruhi had turned into his baby-sitter rather than his date. Instead, Mori acknowledged they should follow Ebi and Karou, something Hikaru was against at first. He didn't want to leave his precious Haruhi with the idiot prince alone. Regardless, the group found themselves following Karou and Ebi, and their emotions switched. Hikaru became the excited one, Mori the depressed one and Hunny, the referee to make sure they didn't interfere. Karou and Ebi sat on a bench just out of earshot and as Mori sulked (by simply frowning), Hunny and Hikaru listened in.<p>

"I hope all is going well," Ebi sighed, leaning forward so her elbows hit her knees. Karou nodded, lifting his arms so they crossed behind his head.

"This plan of ours is sure to work," he added.

Hikaru's emotion switched again. _Behind my back?_

Mori's emotion changed again and he stared at the two. _An act?_

Hunny however had noticed something entirely different.

"Is that… Kyoya?" he pointed past where Karou and Ebi were sitting to an ice cream vendor, and the group gasped loudly.

"_Renge_?" they shouted, falling from their perch behind Karou and Ebi, making the two stand up and jump at them.

"Hunny-sempai!" Karou shouted. "You're supposed to be following Tama and Haruhi!"

Mori simply picked Karou up and turned him towards what the rest of the group was staring at; Kyoya, the so called shadow king, sharing an ice cream cone with loud and obnoxious lady manager Renge. The all shouted together and instantly, they could see the explanation mark above Kyoya's head as he turned and all color drained from his face. In a split second the stalkers surrounded them and Renge seemed to not mind while Kyoya slowly began to disintegrate. Before the questioning could begin, however, there was another problem.

"What. Are you guys. Doing here?"

Slowly, the entire group turned around to find Haruhi, Tamaki clinging to her with a bandage on his forehead, face void of any excitement. The other seven raised their arms defensively before Haruhi unleashed on the first people she could think of, the twins.

"I _knew _this was you're doing,"

Hikaru didn't seem pleased. "Don't look at me," he mumbled, looking away from his brother. Karou frowned, knowing that would haunt him for the rest of the weekend. Haruhi's demon face calmed and she looked at Ebi.

"You?" she asked. Ebi frowned, looking at Karou from the corner of her eye. Haruhi misunderstood and sighed at Karou.

"Karou, I expect you to do silly things with Hikaru, but not with Ebi," she shook her head before turning, walking away from the group with steam rising from her head.

"Haru-chan! Wait for daddy!" Tamaki yelled after her, but was stopped by the fearful glance of doom that was Haruhi. Tamaki instantly turned white and fell to the ground in a puddle of tears. In the background, Kyoya took Renge's wrist and the two slowly backed away, not wanting to risk being questioned.

"Don't even think you won't be questioned come Monday," Karou mumbled, watching as the two quickly ran away. Hunny pouted.

"I'll go after Haru-chan and cheer her up with Usa-chan," he stepped forward, but then realized and turned around to find Mori still staring at Ebi and Karou, a puzzled look on his face. "Takashi!" he yelled. Mori turned and nodded before following. Tamaki snapped out of his faze and began quickly crawling after them.

"Wait, for father!"

"I guess the plan fell through," Ebi sighed, looking over at Karou. He was about to respond when he saw Hikaru standing, not too pleased behind her. Ebi got the hint and lightly waved before running off in the direction that the rest of the group had gone.

"You made a plan without me?" Hikaru spoke as soon as the twins were alone. Karou frowned.

"You were so distracted by Haruhi that I thought it would be ok, Hikaru," Karou tried to explain. Hikaru wasn't having it.

"Do you not care about my emotions anymore?" he seemed to be more upset than Karou had planned for. Karou reached forward for his brother but found him turning away. "I don't want to hear it. You can sleep by yourself tonight,"

Karou sighed as he stood alone in the park, the entire group running towards the gate. While the operation had ended in a somber way, he had to admit there was some progress. Hikaru's pain may be different from any pain the two had gone through growing up, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

_Maybe_.


	5. Explosions!

A/N: So I feel that the quiet Mori has to be running a million thoughts a minute in his head, right? Anyways, thanks for the reviews! I'm doing my best!

* * *

><p>The Hitachiin residence was anything but quiet in the living quarters. The moment the twins met up in their usual shared room it was chaos. A battle of mixed emotions and arguments the twins never thought they would have. Hikaru did most of the yelling, while Karou did most of the defensive gestures. When it got down to the real matter, it was all about Haruhi, and the older twins' love for her, something Karou didn't want to admit. However, the twins were still young and too naïve to admit their issues. Instead they fought over something trivial.<p>

"Why would you make a plan that didn't involve me?" Hikaru yelled, pointing to himself. Karou sighed, looking away from his brother. They had already been going at each other for a half-hour and he was tired of trying to negotiate a truce.

"It was something that Ebi and I came up with when you were distracted," he mumbled, shaking his head and covering his face with his hand. Hikaru scoffed at him, his hands on his hips.

"And what did you want to accomplish with that plan, huh? Make a fool of Haruhi?" he asked. Karou looked up, surprised by his brother's innocence. Hikaru paused as the two locked eyes and that twin telepathy went into action. "Or…wait,"

The naivety in Hikaru seemed to disappear.

"Are you trying to hook up Tama-senpai with Haruhi?" he whispered, before falling back into a nearby chair as Karou nodded.

"I'm sorry Hikaru," he spoke softly, walking closer to his brother. "It just seemed like-"

"Did you think of my feelings? I _love _Haruhi and boss probably does only like her in that stupid fatherly way he's always talking about," Hikaru didn't raise his voice but simply looked up at his brother. Karou raised an eyebrow at the sadness found in the golden orbs he shared with him.

"Are you sure?" he boldly asked, earning a glare from Hikaru. "Tamaki just hasn't come to terms with it, but it's obvious," Karou watched as his brother let the information lull in his head.

"You'd rather have Haruhi with somebody other than me?" Hikaru's voice lowered into unbearable quietness. Karou closed his eyes; his heart was now hurting for his brother.

"I'd rather have her with somebody that actually loves her," Hikaru bolted up and Karou flinched for a moment before gathering his brother in a tight hug. "Haruhi was the first person to come into our lives in such a way that nobody else has managed to do," Hikaru fought against Karou's grip slightly. "Did you ever think that it is infatuation, pushed over the edge by jealousy that she's changed somebody else's world?"

Hikaru stilled and Karou smiled softly before his brother finally hugged him back, his face burrowing into his shoulder.

"I'm so glad you ended up with the brain in the family,"

Karou chuckled and closed his eyes, letting his brother keep his hold on him a moment longer. Things were finally changing.

* * *

><p>Hikaru may have forgiven his brother, and was now faced with the hard task of getting over Haruhi but that didn't mean revenge wasn't in order. After a carefully placed letter in the mail-drop of Ebi's door, he found himself outside of a public park with a small bunch of flowers, courtesy of his grandmother's business. He felt devilish more than guilty and his adrenaline rushed as he saw Ebi walking towards him, a tiny grin on her face as she approached him.<p>

"Hi, Karou,"

_All part of the plan_.

Hikaru beamed, extending the flowers to her. "Hey, Ebi," he answered.

Hikaru had instructed Ebi to meet "Karou" at the park with a picnic so that they could discuss their further plans. Mainly, it was so that Hikaru could know the true intentions and learn more about the girl Karou seemed so attached to lately. It wasn't described as a date, but somehow, Ebi always dressed as if she was in a dating situation.

_Must be an American thing_.

Ebi took the flowers with a growing smile before walking with Hikaru to an unoccupied spot under a tree. She stayed silent for the most part as they set up the blanket and when Ebi handed over what Hikaru assumed his box lunch, her expression changed, though her eyes were not visible underneath her glasses.

_Oh crap_.

Ebi smirked, her smile turning devilish, almost a mirror image of Karou's, Hikaru thought. Ebi opened her box lunch and snapped apart her disposable chopsticks before looking back up at him. Hikaru looked down at his meal and let his breath go.

"Where'd you learn how to make such good bentos?" he asked, picking up a fish sausage that had been cut to look like an octopus. Ebi waved her hand nonchalantly.

"My obachan taught me years ago," she giggled. "The octopus is bento 101," Hikaru raised his eyebrow before continuing to eat.

_Karou always gets the prime catch_.

"What do you think we should do now that Haru-chan is aware of what we are trying to do?" Hikaru spoke, remembering to keep his voice as close to Karou's as possible. Ebi shrugged, pushing back her shades as the clouds covered up the sun.

"We can always consult the other host club members," she pondered, looking over at him. Hikaru nodded.

"I wonder what they'll think," he questioned.

The two continued to eat and with much failure, Hikaru tried to pry more from Ebi, who seemed more interested in him than the plan they had calculated under Hikaru's nose (so confusing in Hikaru's brain). The only information he could 'be refreshed on' was the wager of Karou getting a kiss from Ebi.

_Smooth._

Before he knew it, Ebi was sitting closer to him and Hikaru forgot who he was for a moment and attempted to come up with a game plan of his own.

"We can always pretend to be a couple to _influence_ the others," Hikaru looked over at Ebi and found her leaning towards him.

"But of course," Hikaru felt his heart leap as she moved her lips close to his and was about to close his eyes when she smirked. "_Hikaru_,"

Hikaru turned red before slumping over in failure.

"How long?" he asked. Ebi laughed.

"Since I got here," she bluntly spoke. "Don't you think Haruhi told me how to tell by now?" she asked. Hikaru rubbed the back of his neck anxiously before sighing out.

"Sorry Ebi-chan," he mumbled. Ebi smiled at him, her sunglasses back over her face.

"Thanks for the idea, though," she laughed out as she slurped up a tuna roll. "I'll have to pass it by Karou,"

Hikaru looked over at the girl that had managed to outwit him and smiled in admiration. He was starting to understand Karou just as his brother understood him.

* * *

><p>It had been a quiet Sunday morning when Hunny joined Mori in his judo exercises in his never ending backyard. They had been meditating for quite a time before Hunny smiled, opening an eye and glancing over at his cousin.<p>

"Ebi-chan is cute, right Takashi?"

_Cuter than Haruhi_.

"Hai," Mori simply replied, not opening his eyes. Hunny smiled even more as his cousin developed a red tint to his cheeks.

"I like the way she does her hair!" he spoke again.

_An unconventionally cute side ponytail. _

"Ah," Mori mumbled his straight line of an expression faltering.

"What do _you_ think, Takashi?" Hunny pondered, opening his eyes fully.

"She looks familiar, like I've met her before,"

_Did I say all that just now?_

Mori's face seemed even more troubled, his eyes still closed. Hunny giggled, turning his head at his cousin.

"Takashi!" he shouted, excitedly, earning an open-eyed glance from Mori. "That's love at first sight,"

Mori fell over and his soul dissipated from his body. Hunny leaned over his taller friend and cousin before bursting out in laughter.

"Mitsukuni," he muttered, his eyes closed again as he lie on the ground. "Keep quiet," he simply spoke. Hunny giggled again as he resumed his meditation pose.

"You can count on me!"


	6. Shipment en Route

A/N: What happens when you work 3 9 hour shifts in a row on the weekend? No time to write! A thousand apologies! Also, thank you for your correction, radioactivepenguin13. It seems that even though I had it right the first time, Word likes to auto correct everything! Another one thousand apologies. Also, try to keep track of the amount of plans and 'ships' that are made from here on out. See the awesome diagram at end of chapter (after you read of course, unless you want spoilers!).

* * *

><p>It had been a pretty regular day for the Host Club, as normal as the club could be, Kyoya thought. He kept his eyes on his notebook, as always, but today there was a sense that if he looked up, he would instantly be ambushed. He and Renge had agreed after slipping away from the crowd to avoid getting within ten feet within each other or risk an endless questioning via the entire school. Even at the end of the host club's activities he found himself breathing a sigh of relief as the others seemed unfazed by the previous week's events. Everything changed when he snapped closed his notebook. Upon looking up, he was faced by seven curious faces, all sharing a Cheshire grin, and a devious one at that. Nothing could describe the pure horror in the usually collected Ootori boy. He simply smiled.<p>

"When did you get here, Ebi-san?" he asked as coolly as possible.

With no answer, his grin cracked and he felt the sweat drop from his head. Instantly, his hands found themselves in front of his face, trying desperately to wedge a force-field between him and his so-called friends. He was surrounded. Another sigh instantly started the questions.

"Renge? Who knew you two had a _thing_," The twins mused, magically at the same time.

"If I recall, wasn't it you that told her to find another obsession?" Haruhi.

"You truly are the host club's finest gentleman," Tamaki.

"I'm so happy for you, Kyo-chan!" Hunny screamed, holding Usa-chan tight to his chest. "Right, Takashi?"

"Hm."

"I'm impressed, you _playa'_," Ebi.

Kyoya sighed as the group continued and instantly, he found light brown hair in front of his eyes.

"STOP IT!"

The entire group found themselves against the south wall. Suddenly, the loud-mouth Renge was back. She smiled as the group cowered and looked over her shoulder at Kyoya, softening her glance.

"We better just tell them," she whispered.

The group found themselves back surrounding the two with even more curiosity in their eyes than before.

"Tell us what?" The magical force that made people speak the same lines was back in force as well.

Kyoya and Renge suddenly found themselves tinier than anyone else in the room and squished together, falling on the couch behind them as the group crowded them. The minute Renge's face fell into a somber expression, however, the group squished to sit on the couch opposite of the two, Hunny ending up in Mori's lap and Ebi on one of the arms. Still, they stared.

"Well, it started as a plot to make our parents upset after they told us that we would have arranged marriages," Renge spoke softly, her eyes softening and glazing over. Kyoya nodded, looking over at the eyes that were fixed on him.

"We chose one another because of the hate our families share," Kyoya sighed, more melancholy than ever before. He looked away for a moment. "But that's where the story takes its dramatic turn,"

Renge sniffled slightly.

"We fell in _love,_" she finally muttered, the occupants of the other couch losing all color in their faces. Still, they stared, silent as ever. Renge pouted. "And now we don't know what to do! Our love is forbidden!"

Kyoya moved his hand to clutch Renge's and instantly the flames of moe switched on and all color was back in the other host members. As expected, Tamaki leapt up and pointed at the two somber teens.

"I will not allow true love to be sabotaged by greed, even if it is a family's greed!" he shouted, looking back at the other members. "It is your duty as host club members to agree and help these lovers get the future they deserve!"

With a quick stand and salute, the remaining six members stood proudly and smiled largely at Kyoya and Renge.

"We will protect your honor,"

Kyoya almost lost it as the group separated, a frenzy averted and a new one created. Out of ear shot, Renge caught a smirk in her throat and held her fingers over her lips.

"I can't believe they bought all that," she whispered, glancing over at Kyoya. He grinned, gripping her hand again and giving it a squeeze.

"Hopefully our plan will get the rest of our clueless members to realize their feelings," he spoke, looking over as he observed the preverbal game of cat and mouse being played amongst his friends. He smiled, light glistening across his glasses.

"I love you," Renge mouthed, her voice not even a whisper. Kyoya let his usual hardened expression soften and leaned closer to her.

"And I you, Renge,"

Across the room, Hunny found himself with another visitor to tend to, and grinned when he discovered it was Reiko Kanazuki from the Black Magic Club. She hadn't been around in a while and somewhere deep inside his childlike heart, he had missed her, even though the strangeness she emitted. After reacquainting herself with the other members she sat with him and Mori and was soon joined by Ebi who finally revealed she had brought sweets again. Reiko seemed nervous of the girl even though Hunny was more than encouraging that she wasn't 'mean'.

"Reiko-chan, here, have one of Ebi-chan's cupcakes," Hunny pushed, placing a plate in front of her. She blushed before nodding, glancing at Ebi and the ever silent Mori before picking a piece with her fork.

As always, Hunny dove in quickly, eating through three before Reiko could take her third bite. Ebi smiled as she observed then caught the glance Hunny shared with his cousin. Mori seemed fazed (for once) and gulped, before looking down at his own cupcake. Ebi looked over at how Hunny interacted with Reiko before slowly standing up and looking down at Mori.

"Mori-san, would you join me?" she asked, politely excusing the two and ignoring the thumbs up Hunny aimed at the stumbling Mori.

The minute they were (somewhat) alone in the music room, Ebi leaned closer to him and grinned.

"Can you help me with something?" she inquired, her eyes widening. Mori felt his heart slow to the point he thought a stroke was imminent.

"Hm."

With a larger smile Ebi moved closer to his ear. "Can you help me hook Hunny-chan up with that girl Reiko?" she asked, as sweetly as possible.

_Heartbreak._ Mori gave a crooked, tight grin.

"Hm."

"Great!" Ebi beamed, placing a hand on Mori's shoulder.

Back at Hunny's table, Hikaru had taken Ebi's spot after Kaoru started talking over enthusiastically to Tamaki. He couldn't help but let his eyes wander over to the suspiciously happy Mori and Ebi laughing away (well, Ebi was laughing) when Hunny leaned over, an unusually devilish grin on his lips.

"Hika-chan, you're good with plans, _right_?" he asked, the infliction of his voice at the end of his sentence drawing Hikaru back to the table and the pair of wide brown eyes peering at him.

"I suppose," he muttered back, not exactly interested in what Hunny was ranting on.

"Help me help Takashi express his feelings for Ebi-chan!" he spoke, a little quieter so that no attention was brought to them. Reiko giggled next to Hunny and Hikaru felt his head whip to his smaller senpai.

"What?" Hikaru swallowed hard. "Like hook them up?" he clarified. Hunny giggled, almost matching the one Reiko had just finished.

"Of course, _silly_,"

Hikaru felt his heart sink for a moment before he felt the sweet love of mischief flow through his veins. If Kaoru could have a plan of his own, Hikaru could as well, right?

"I don't see why not," he finally answered.

_The plot thickens!_

Back at the couch the entire club had been seated at earlier at Kyoya and Renge's confession, Haruhi found herself sitting with the ever nervous and strange acting Tamaki who was so busy pouring too much sugar in his 'commoner's coffee' that he couldn't keep a normal conversation. It wasn't until Haruhi finally sighed did Tamaki look at her and smile.

"Haruhi," he spoke, his expressions changing back to the prince he was.

"Yes sempai?" she mused, placing her cup of tea on the table. Tamaki placed his hands nervously in his lap.

"I was thinking that in order to make up for the disaster that happened last week we could go on a real-"

"Lovebirds, hello!" Ebi interrupted Tamaki and the minute she sat across from the two her face dropped and she jumped back up, her arms up defensively. "Oh no, I just interrupted something romantic," she mumbled, laughing nervously.

Haruhi found her face hot before shaking her head, looking over at Tamaki who was too horrified for a few moments before he too shook his head. They sat there silently for a few seconds before Ebi smirked and gulped.

"Anyways, I almost forgot to tell you my father invited you all over for dinner tonight at my place and I would be so happy if all of you could make it,"

Haruhi found herself instantly relieved.

"You mean we'll finally get to meet him?" she asked. Ebi nodded.

"You guys are my friends now, and friends come over for dinner and meet each other's family,"

Tamaki seemed to snap back to Earth as well.

"We would be honored,"

* * *

><p>The moment the rest of the group arrived at Ebi's house, still in their Ouran uniforms, they found themselves with an overly polite Ebi who was taking their coats with pleasure, smiling as she moved them to the larger table she had set up for the group. The only one missing was Renge, which Kyoya took the liberty of producing more woe, stating she always had to go home straight after club activities to risk suspicion. As they sat down on the floor, Ebi gulped.<p>

"Guys, my dad is a little crazy," she barely got out before the sliding door of the kitchen slammed open and a man clothed in what looked like traditional samurai garb appeared, a long katana in his grasp. He shouted and leapt forward, immediately aiming the edge of the sword at the unsuspecting Kaoru. Ebi raised her hands to her face while the rest of the group stayed frozen.

"Are you the man that's taking advantage of my daughter!" he bellowed.

Kaoru fell back, Hikaru catching him and the group mumbling at what had happened. They looked to Ebi and her father for answers and instantly Haruhi grinned, catching on. Ebi couldn't handle it after the outburst and simply laughed, bending over as her laughs grew louder. Her father tried to keep the straight face as well but cracked and laughed too, his voice still loud as ever. He moved to place the sword back on the place it had on the wall before sitting down on the floor at the end of the table, where Kaoru had been sitting just a moment ago. The boy awoke before shifting himself further away from him. Ebi grinned and looked over at them.

"Sorry Kao-chan," she mused. "He said he was going after the person that sat in his spot, and it just happened to be you,"

Kaoru just nodded and looked at his brother, finding only a barely contained smirk. He pouted.

"I am Satoshi Kochi, Ebi's father and noble protector from boys like you," he spoke. Haruhi glanced up from her spot between Tamaki and Hunny.

"I'm a girl," she said, and Satoshi laughed.

"Ebi told me," he assured.

Ebi moved to the kitchen and brought over a giant platter, assorted snacks and appetizers littering the plate. She wedged herself next to her father, turning to look at the somewhat relieved Kaoru who had been leaning on his brother for support. Satoshi watched the movement and smiled as the group began to talk, questions being raised about Mr. Kochi's profession and his life as Ebi's father. He and her mother had gotten divorced years ago but were civil, and with only one child, they wanted to make sure her future was attainable, no matter how crazy.

"It is part of the reason why she's here in Japan," he explained, talking more to Tamaki and Haruhi, who sat to his left. Kyoya hummed from his spot next to Haruhi, as he had switched with Hunny so that Hunny could speak with Hikaru.

"Is there another reason?" he asked. Satoshi was about to speak when Ebi glanced over and sighed.

"We can save that for another chapter," she mumbled, earning a strange glance from everyone except Haruhi and her father. He raised an eyebrow at her daughter as she went back to speaking to Kaoru. Satoshi leaned back towards Tamaki who was paying attention, unlike Haruhi who was now teasing Kyoya for daydreaming about Renge.

"Say… Tama-san," he whispered. The so-called king raised his eyebrows as the older man grinned. "Help me influence a relationship between that boy and my daughter," he finally spoke, gesturing over to Kaoru and Ebi. Tamaki smiled, his own flames of love burning deep.

"Of course," he answered. With that Satoshi moved back to his daughter and cleared his throat, gaining her attention. Still, many members kept their own conversations. There was a sound at the door and Ebi looked at her father.

"Are you expecting anybody?" she asked, moving to stand up. Satoshi's expression faltered and he flashed a peace sign.

"Forgive me," he spoke as his daughter's happy grin fell into a suspicious glance. "I forgot to tell you," he mumbled before leaning over and staring at the door. "_Come in_!" he yelled in English, the other members catching on.

Ebi froze and Kaoru looked up as her hands curled into fists as the door creaked open and a man appeared clutching a large carrying case. Her eye twitched and as the door shut she whipped around and her aura became poisonous.

"Oh _hey_, Henry," she continued to speak in Japanese. "What in the world are you doing here, you know, in Japan?" she tilted her head to the side and forced a tight grin. Haruhi looked over at Satoshi who gulped before standing, and quickly the other members did as well, unsure of what was happening.

"Ebi," Satoshi continued in English. "Don't be rude to Henry," he urged. Ebi's shoulders fell and she nodded, reluctantly walking over to the still silent man who grabbed her once she was in his bubble and hugged her tight. Nothing seemed wrong with the guy until he laughed, placing her down and ruffling her hair.

"Nice to see you're still rocking that ridiculous ponytail," he walked past her as she stood staring at the floor, her usual comeback missing. Hunny frowned and looked up to only find Mori and Kaoru holding the same look of disgust as the man known as Henry walked over to Satoshi, the older man reluctantly acknowledging the high five Henry gave him. "Got any Dew in this place? I'm beat," he asked, glancing towards the kitchen. Satoshi frowned before nodding, escorting the man towards the kitchen. The rest of the group watched as Ebi sat back down, them copying her before staring at her again.

"Ebi-chan," Hunny mumbled, his sad voice making Ebi force a small smile. Kaoru reluctantly placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at the people she had recently gained as friends.

"Who is that guy?" Haruhi asked, Tamaki glancing at her before nodding in agreement. Ebi shook her head softly.

"The reason I'm in Japan,"

* * *

><p>AN: Cliffhanger? Sylvester Stallone. Uhh.. I mean, yes, a slight cliffhanger ending. Confused? So was I, so check my profile for a diagram!


	7. You Know What? Pt 1

A/N: Fear not! The story does not get gloomy! Shorter author's note, yes, but longer word counts is something you can… _count_ on. That is the last pun I'll ever make, promise. I took some inspiration from the manga for this two parter but threw in my own personal twist. Let's pretend that Renge is the only other Ouran girl that knows Haruhi's true identity. But wait, there's more! Fluff! MORE FLUFF THAN YOUR BODY HAS ROOM FOR!

* * *

><p>Henry was somebody who didn't change with the rest of the world like most people did and after Ebi got over the shock that he was here, sitting next to her as the dinner with her friends and father continued, she found herself not surprised that he showed no remorse for showing up uninvited. The remainder of the night was too awkward for words; filled with translations and inappropriate talks about Ebi with the entire group. It was even harder for the group to swallow when they learned he was there to stay, for now. Needless to say, the assumed late night of fun was cut short by an uninvited foreigner, and reluctantly, the host members hugged their friend goodbye. Ebi frowned as Haruhi let go of her friend, looking behind her to see Henry waiting patiently.<p>

"Please don't feel forced to see us tomorrow, ok? You can tell us on your own time,"

Ebi bowed graciously and the two became separated by a door. With a sigh, Haruhi turned to find her friends lingering on the other side of the wall, leaning against the cars as if they were waiting to talk. Quickly, she found herself shoved into the back of Tamaki's town car. The seven members were cramped, but they didn't seem to care. Tamaki's face of determination made Haruhi anxious.

"Guys, I have to get home, my dad is expecting me!" she pushed but drew silent when Kyoya looked at her.

"We need to get rid of this guy before we lose Ebi to the depths of insanity," Tamaki spoke, looking at the twins. "As resident plan experts, you surely have an idea, yes?"

Hikaru looked to his brother who had been silent the moment Henry burst through the Kochi residence. Shaking his head, Hikaru sighed.

"No can do boss, not while Kaoru is broken," Kaoru looked up, but still did not speak. Hunny pouted, clutching Usa-chan.

"What are we going to do?" he paused, looking at Mori. "Takashi, can't we just scare him off, just this once?"

"Hai." Mori agreed, shocking the rest of the group. Kyoya chuckled before waving a hand.

"No need for violence, Hunny-senpai," the group looked at him. "Renge and I were saving this idea for Halloween, but I don't see why we can't move it up a few weeks,"

Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, a masquerade,"

Kyoya laughed slightly before nodding, impressed.

"A _romantic_ masquerade with a little game involved," he cleared his throat and whipped out his notepad, showing a diagram that was written in pink pen, clearly Renge's doing. After a slight chuckle amongst the group, he pointed at the side list. "Each male guest will receive a card with the name of the person they 'woe' for and in the last hour of the party, they will be instructed to find the person as night falls,"

"And of course Renge has access to _that_ information," Hikaru spoke slyly. Kyoya nodded smugly.

"That's my Renge," his comment was ignored for once and he cleared his throat again before continuing. "We invite Henry as well and give him Ebi's name, but have her name on somebody else's card as well,"

"But Kyo-chan!" Hunny cried, leaning forward from Mori's lap. "It'll have to be one of us!" Mori nodded looking at Haruhi.

"Nobody else in the school knows her," she assured. Kyoya chuckled and glanced at Kaoru who was still silently moping next to his brother before ripping a piece of precious paper from his notebook and tearing it into seven pieces.

"We _are_ a club, after-all, we can decide the lucky person in a vote," he paused. "But you can't vote for yourself, of course,"

Kyoya magically produced pens and passed them around, each member trying desperately to hide their piece of paper from one another in the car (yes, they were still in Tamaki's car). Haruhi pressed the end of the pen to her cheek in thought.

_She has been getting along with Kaoru lately…_

_Kochi-san and I have a pact! _Tamaki.

_Somebody who can punch this jerk across the Pacific. _Kaoru.

_Well, I did promise Hunny_. Hikaru.

_Why am I forced to do these things?_ Mori.

_TAKASHI!_ …Hunny.

_(No man or woman can read the inner thoughts of the shadow king, not even the author)_. Kyoya.

Haruhi's hand quickly became the pool of balled up votes and she looked at Kyoya who was ready with a tally in his notebook.

"Kaoru, Mori, Mori, Kaoru, Mori, Kaoru and," she paused, glancing up as both Mori and Kaoru sat with similar stroke victim expressions on their faces. "…Hunny,"

"Yay!" Hunny yelled before realizing and slumping back against Mori. Haruhi smirked, looking at Kyoya.

"Looks like a tie, Kyoya-sempai,"

Kyoya shook his head and looked evilly at Mori and Kaoru.

"Oh, I think this _tie_ will work well towards our advantage,"

_Cue the heart attacks._

* * *

><p>Haruhi wasn't surprised when Ebi didn't show up the next day at the host club meeting. Even though she promised to give her space, the other members urged her to go talk to her to make sure she hadn't completely broken down with the appearance of somebody she didn't care for. After learning from Satoshi that Henry was actually staying at their apartment for the time being, she wasn't surprised to find Ebi down the street at the park, sitting frozen on the swing. Haruhi's heart sank but a smile forced through as she sat down in the empty swing next to her.<p>

"You have to promise not to tell the guys," Ebi spoke almost immediately. Haruhi gasped lightly before nodding, knowing Ebi could see her out of the corner of her eye. "I will tell them on my own time, but seeing as though Henry doesn't know when, or _if_ he'll be leaving soon, they'll see it for themselves,"

Haruhi frowned. "Would he happen to be that ex you mentioned a few weeks ago?" she whispered. Ebi's head fell again, her bangs covering her eyes.

"Yes," she gulped. "ex-lover, ex-boyfriend and almost fiancé," Ebi looked up and over at her friend who's eyes widened.

"What…" she trailed off and Ebi nodded.

"Have you ever been so in love it hurts?"

Haruhi felt a strong heat come to her cheeks before she lowered her head, hands falling from the swing to her lap.

"Did he break your heart, Ebi-chan?" Haruhi asked and found Ebi holding a very solemn expression.

"He stole a piece of my body, my _soul_," her bottom lip quivered. "He used me to make another girl jealous and I was so naïve I let him do it,"

"What happened?"

"We've known each other since we were toddlers and danced around each other's feelings till high school," Ebi gulped. "But you know how _that_ is,"

Haruhi smiled, knowing that Ebi wasn't completely lost yet. Ebi shrugged.

"She was in the same grade as us and Henry was always drawn to her even though she didn't have the best reputation," she shifted in the swing. "We dated at first because she suggested it and right when it got serious is when she decided she wanted him and not 'us',"

"Then it's also her fault?" Haruhi interjected. Ebi tilted her head slightly.

"I suppose, but a good man never falls for that kind of 'love'," she looked back at Haruhi. "They dated for the rest of the semester; a whole three months and after graduation she dumped him flat on his ass and..."

"He came crawling back,"

"A friend of ours told me he was going to propose to win me back and that's when I decided to come here,"

Haruhi blinked before letting her jaw fall open.

"You mean…" she swallowed hard. "You ran away from him?" Ebi smirked at her friend.

"I should have known he'd follow me," Ebi frowned again. "Haruhi, I'm scared,"

"Why?" Haruhi watched as Ebi reached up and rubbed at her eyes.

"That if I hear those words I won't be able to say no,"

Haruhi felt her heart skip a beat again and instantly her hormones raged as Ebi fell from her swing to the sand, with Haruhi following, the new friends hugging so tightly Haruhi thought she would lose a lung. The moment was heartfelt, something Haruhi was not used to, especially with other girls. There was a cough near them and Ebi tensed in Haruhi's arms before she heard the voice.

"Sorry, but Kochi-san said I'd find you girls over here," Kaoru.

"What are you doing here, Kao-chan?" Haruhi asked, helping Ebi stand up. Kaoru observed Ebi as she dusted herself off before wiping at her face. He gulped.

"I-Kyoya told me to bring the invite today, but I think I earned the trait of bad-timing at birth," he joked. Haruhi forced a smile while Ebi kept her head hung low. "What's wrong?" he dared to whisper. Haruhi skewed her mouth to the side before Ebi picked her head up and grinned, even though Kaoru could see the blotchy red spots from her crying still visible on her cheeks.

"I'll tell you later," she mumbled. Ebi looked to Haruhi who smiled, the group walking back towards the apartments.

"You should stay with me, Ebi," Haruhi urged. Ebi shrugged.

"No point, he'll just come upstairs,"

Haruhi instantly looked over at Kaoru as he walked silently with his hands in his pockets and even through the given circumstances, revenge boiled in her blood. _I can make plans too!_

"Why don't you stay with Karou instead?" Haruhi suggested, moving away and turning around at the two. Kaoru had already risen his hands defensively, a large blush on his face. Ebi smirked, her playfulness back.

"I guess that can work," she paused and looked back at the embarrassed Kaoru. "Are you ok with this, Kao-chan?"

He sighed, still seeing the red in her eyes through her lightening expression. He nodded and continued to escort the girls to the apartments. After Ebi quickly gathered her things for a 'group sleep-over', she was off, and just as Ebi was about to get into the Hitachiin town car, she leaned over and hugged Haruhi.

"Thank you for being such a good person, Haruhi," she whispered into her ear. "Tamaki's a lucky guy,"

Before Haruhi could resist, Ebi disappeared and the car took off, leaving Haruhi blushing but smiling. Ebi would not be broken.

* * *

><p>Kaoru was glad Ebi wasn't too interested in tours of the large Hitachiin manor but then found himself nervous of what he could do to occupy her time. A storm had brewed during the trip to the estate and the usual chatty two had grown silent; not knowing what to say to make the other less uncomfortable. After a much more awkward escort to the room Ebi would be staying in, she waved him goodbye, Kaoru walking away stoically, as if his soul had left him at the bottom staircase. The sun had already set by the time Ebi got out of the guest shower, but her eyes twinkled as she spotted a light rain fall. After draping her night-slip over herself she grabbed her bathrobe and opened the balcony doors, lightly smiling as the white curtains fluttered at the light and chilly wind. Her feet grew Goosebumps at first as she stepped out, but she got used to it and approached the stone ledge, cupping her chin in her hand before closing her eyes and letting the rain cleanse her once more.<p>

"You'll catch a cold,"

Ebi smiled before turning herself slightly, finding Kaoru standing in his own bathrobe just inside the room, holding the door open. She reached out for his hand and he reluctantly took it, her yanking her out with him.

"You can catch one with me," she joked. Kaoru felt a smile rest on his lips as he stood next to her, Ebi sighing as she closed her eyes again. "Where's Hikaru?" she asked.

"He went to Hunny's after school and is staying there instead of braving the traffic storm," he paused. "Probably conspiring with Hunny-sempai about something,"

Ebi chuckled before moving and leaning the side of her face against Kaoru's arm.

"Thanks for letting me stay here, Kaoru," she peered up at him. "I hope as you get older you can keep this gentleman side of you,"

Kaoru felt the heat rise to his cheeks again before nodding, remembering he was, after all, three years younger than the woman that stood next to him.

"Hikaru told me about the other day when he pretended to be me," he laughed, trying to ease the situation. Ebi grinned.

"He said we should pretend to be a couple to influence the others," her smile faltered a bit and Kaoru decided to ignore the acid that bubbled in his stomach. "But I think that ends up hurting more people than helping them,"

Karou hesitated at first but then rested his arm around Ebi, reassuring her. She glanced up at him again.

"I-I am so sorry Ebi, but I heard you talking to Haruhi in the park," he mumbled, lowering her eyes before locking with hers. She didn't seem upset and nodded silently before glancing away.

"It's ok, I was going to tell you anyways," her head rested against his side now as he kept an arm around her. "I also know about the masquerade plan and think while it's brilliant is not for me," she sighed deeply. "I don't want to do the same thing that Henry did to me by making him jealous,"

Kaoru nodded, looking down at the top of Ebi's head then sniffling as the rain got a slight bit harder.

"You really still love this guy, don't you?" he asked softly. Ebi chuckled.

"In a really messed up way, yes," she closed her eyes. "I don't want to be anymore,"

"He's too thick to get jealous of us," Kaoru stated bravely. "Just let us get him a bit worked up and then you can take him aside and explain to him that you didn't really run away but truly did take a vacation," Kaoru glanced down again as she moved her head up to look at him. "To get over him,"

Ebi felt her heart warm up despite the rain and nodded.

"I love your brain," she simply spoke. Kaoru let the smallest of smiles come to his lips before he lightly gasped at the fact Ebi was still staring up at him. He leaned down for a moment before nature pushed him back and the two stumbled as a large gust rushed by, and Kaoru yelped as the doors to the balcony slammed shut, a large portion of curtain wedged between the cracks.

"Uh-oh," he mumbled, looking back at Ebi as she hugged her bathrobe tighter to herself with a questionable expression.

"What?" she inquired. Kaoru faked a sob.

"The doors lock from the inside…automatically,"

Ebi stumbled, leaning against the stone ledge again.

"My life is a joke, I swear," she mumbled, before Kaoru pulled her back towards the door, the two opting to sit down underneath the only spot not being hit by rain underneath a structural block in the wall above them.

"Believe me, I know," he mumbled before glancing over and yanking the curtain that had wedged between the doors and laughing as it ripped as perfectly as it could and wrapping it around Ebi then himself.

Ebi moved closer to him and he adjusted accordingly, moving his arm back around her shoulders so her face could rest against his chest. He prayed she wouldn't hear the pounding of his heart but decided he could always blame it on hormones. She sighed and Kaoru closed his eyes tight as her arms moved to wrap around his waist, her body relaxing into his.

"I think we should do it,"

Kaoru snapped open his eyes and looked down at Ebi who laughed before shaking her head.

"I should really think before speaking," she paused. "I mean I think we should do this plan I was thinking about," her teeth chattered. "I'm so cold I thought I had actually been talking to you," she flashed a smile. Kaoru swallowed hard and nodded, looking at her as she snuggled closer. "This masquerade is perfect timing for operation 'Ship TomoxHaru',"

Kaoru nodded as Ebi slowly talked of her ideas and as the rain calmed and the October air warmed she slowly drifted into sleep, her mumbles transforming into deep breaths lulling Kaoru into his own sleep.

* * *

><p>Kyoya couldn't help but laugh at Renge as she wrote girl's names slowly and in perfect calligraphy on note-cards, grinning madly as she explained what girl was the object of what boy's affection. She sat in his living area in a sweater and autumn dress, her hair held high up in her usual bow. He sat on his laptop typing away at the reservation list while Renge worked on her pairings for the dance.<p>

"So I matched up Haru-chan with Tamaki, Reiko with Hunny-sempai, and Ebi with Mori-sempai and Kaoru…" she trailed, picking up her own card. Kyoya leaned over her shoulder and smiled.

"Did you match yourself with another man, Renge?" he joked, earning an embarrassed chuckle as she shooed him off.

"Of _course_ not, silly," she scrunched up her nose before sighing.

"But I cannot find a girl for poor Hika-chan!"

Kyoya raised an eyebrow and leaned over to whisper into his beau's ear. She gasped, turning to playfully glare at him.

"Kyoya Ootori!" she scolded jokingly. "What are you thinking?" she poked at his cheek before jumping into his lap, hugging him around the neck. She was pleased.

"It is a game after all, is it not?"

_Mmmm. Plot stew!_


	8. You're Lovely Pt 2

Saturday had arrived, thankfully for the host club, in a timely manner and while they had lost profit from being closed all week, Kyoya assured they would earn it back and more with the party that night. Every reservation had been answered and now they were expecting up to a hundred couples. The day couldn't have arrived any faster for Ebi, who had been forced to stay home after catching a cold, the reason only known to Hikaru and Kaoru. Hikaru had arrived home earlier the week after staying at Hunny's to find his brother and Ebi stuck on the balcony and after moving them to the bed inside, he laughed and left a note for them. Needless to say, the two had awoken in the bed, stripped of their bathrobes and intertwined in a way that made Kaoru shiver. On the nightstand stood a note that read 'revenge' with Hikaru's signature. After that, Kaoru became weary of what his brother was up to, his meetings with Hunny becoming more frequent as Saturday neared. And now, as the group met up in the third music room a few hours before the party Hikaru was snickering at him every time the plan was explained again. Haruhi passed by Kaoru then and he reached out to her, smiling as she looked up at him, confused.

"Haruhi, can you help me?" he asked, pointing to his tie. Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

"Are you joking? Don't you know how?" she laughed softly before reaching up. "Are you nervous, Kaoru?" she asked, lowering her voice. He shrugged.

"Why should I be?" he questioned back. Haruhi rolled her eyes before tightening the tie, patting him on the chest for good measure.

"There better not be any tricks tonight," she warned before turning to walk away. Kaoru smiled at the thought of the deal Ebi and he still had before looking over at his brother who seemed to be pep-talking Mori with Hunny. The doors to the room opened and Kaoru's mouth fell at first when he only saw Renge but then let his eyes widen when Ebi followed, her appearance obviously courtesy of the money Kyoya had 'invested' in her. Renge instantly guided herself towards the waiting Kyoya and Kaoru looked away from their embrace to find Ebi standing in front of him, the devilish grin he had subconsciously missed in full bloom. She had her hair tucked into a fancier version of her side-ponytail and placed her clutch on the couch before adjusting the bow that tied around the waist of the deep red dress she wore.

"Remember what we talked about?" she reached up and adjusted his tie slightly. "You gotta go pep talk Tamaki and I'll try to get Haruhi alone,"

Kaoru felt the most ridiculous smile come to his lips before nodding, turning and walking towards the 'prince' in question. Ebi giggled and instantly found her girl in question looking at her with an inquisitive look. Before she could say something, Ebi looked down and raised an eyebrow at the white dress Haruhi wore.

"Where's your tux?" Ebi asked, tilting her head. Haruhi chuckled, waving her hand.

"It's a masquerade," she paused. "Nobody will notice," Ebi nodded before moving a hand across the back of her neck nervously.

"So, do you think you can teach me the waltz?"

Haruhi paused in thought before laughing as she nodded. The girls began to dance in the room and Kyoya observed for a moment before looking back down at Renge as she gathered all the cards, handing some to him as well. Kaoru walked by with Tamaki, the only word heard; 'confess'. It caught Renge's attention as well and she giggled before pressing the side of her face against Kyoya's arm.

"Oh, I think tonight's game is going to be _very_ interesting,"

* * *

><p><em>Fujioka, Haruhi<em>.

Hikaru gulped as he observed the card in his hand for the tenth time. Who had set him up to this? Kaoru and Ebi, or Kyoya and Renge? His heart dropped, not interested in games any more. Just as he was ready to hand Haruhi over to Tamaki, her name had to end up on his note card. The lights had not dimmed yet and Hikaru actually felt as if he would throw up when they did. Haruhi had left to pick up Henry at the time being and while many couples danced, Hikaru stood still near a pillar, politely declining dances until an arm yanked him a bit. He frowned before looking to see Ebi with a bright smile.

"Buzz kill," she simply spoke. "Help me practice," she said again before pulling him into an easy Waltz step a little bit away from the dance floor. Her relaxed state made him question her.

"You do know I'm _Hikaru_, right?"

"Do _you_ know your Hikaru?" she joked back, laughing. They continued to dance before Ebi looked up at him. "Who did you get?" she asked, watching as his eyes glanced away. She followed them to find Tamaki talking with Kaoru. "Rough," she whispered, understanding. Hikaru shrugged, turning them away so he didn't have to look.

"As long as she's happy," he mumbled. Ebi paused, making Hikaru stop, their hands still gripped and hands on each other's waist. He clenched his teeth nervously. "What?" he asked. Ebi lowered her eyes.

"You are a sweetheart, Hika-chan," she mused before tilting her head up at him. "If it leads to her happiness, why don't you convince Tamaki to get over himself and confess to Haruhi?"

Hikaru felt his heart drop before his mind snapped at him and he felt a sense of realization hit him. Ebi finally let go of his hand and her hand slipped from his waist before she smiled softly. He nodded his head and before he turned to locate Tamaki, he leaned down and hugged Ebi tightly.

"You and my brother have wonderful brains,"

Just as Hikaru left, she felt a presence behind her and turned to find Mori, his expression hard to read. He gulped before offering his arm, smiling (and sighing in relief) as Ebi took his arm. The lights were due to dim any time now, and Mori knew that to hide Ebi in the crowd was a good idea if they wanted to keep Henry away.

"Mori," he paused in glancing around to look down at the girl in question and blinked in reply. She chuckled. "A man of few words," she joked before moving with him in a turn. "I wish I knew more about you,"

"Ah," Mori frowned as she glanced away but found his mind not too worried as her smile stuck to her lips. "Um," Ebi glanced up as the music stopped and Renge began to speak into the loudspeaker. "Let me escort you on a date tomorrow,"

_Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for the ladies to separate from the men while the lights dim._

"What?" Ebi asked, their voices being covered by Renge's. Mori felt his soul crying and shook his head as Haruhi appeared to scoot Ebi away but found solace in the fact Ebi was still smiling.

"It's ok, Takashi," Mori looked down to see Hunny patting him on the arm supportively.

"Mitsukuni," he mumbled, his face not merely matching the way his heart did.

"The night is still young!" Hunny cheered as the lights dimmed.

_Go find your girl!_

Henry had found her quickly and even though Ebi didn't find this surprising, his usual confidence was instantly shattered by the advancing Kaoru and the protective Mori. A stonewall had been put up, and Henry turned away, the usual in-your-face attitude replaced by a wall-flower. Ebi's expression changed at that moment and Kaoru felt his heart sink as the two danced, knowing her mind was far from where she was now, in his arms.

"Ebi," he frowned even more as she took the time to acknowledge him, her eyes barely meeting his. "Do you want to stop dancing?" he asked. Ebi shook her head before sighing.

"I will share the next dance with Henry," she explained, cutting off Kaoru as he tried to interject. "You're right, I need to resolve things and stop the game we've been playing for the past five years,"

Kaoru, despite the melancholy atmosphere, smiled and grinned even larger when Ebi finally smiled, her step picking up just as the song ended. They parted and she lightly bowed, squeezing his hand a bit before walking past him towards the table Henry sat by himself. Ebi sighed, reluctantly reaching out to touch his shoulder before calling out.

"Dance with me?" she asked, as sweetly as she could.

She knew she had to do this now, or regret it later. Henry eagerly agreed and they moved to the dance floor, linking hands and Ebi swallowed hard as his hand rested on her waist. She glanced over for a moment to find most of the host club standing to the side watching in what seemed like horror before Kaoru assured them. The music picked up and Ebi was surprised at the concentration Henry held as he let her lead them, and for the entire first dance, they stood silent. Ebi could barely handle the intensity in his eyes and glanced away again, smiling sweetly as she found Tamaki and Haruhi dancing, a lot closer than the other couples around her. The music slowed and Ebi suddenly found herself reminiscing of high school prom. Chuckling, she turned to look at Henry when she found his lips near her ear, his breathe circling around her ear.

"You can come home with me, Ebi," he whispered as they slowly moved. "I know our past has been complicated, but I know the future is bright for us," Ebi let her grin fall. "I want you to be my wife,"

Her heart stopped and her eyes widened and for a moment she lost her footing, Henry moving his arm a little more around her waist to catch her. She felt her heart flutter back and almost let the tears prickle through before she blinked them away and turned her face so that her mouth came close to his ear.

"We've had an interesting life together, Henry," she smiled, closing her eyes. "We shared so much together and it was fun, but I'm afraid the love you hold for me is a false one," she peeled away from his ear so that she could catch his eyes. "I don't want to be your wife," she spoke, finally. Henry's expression fell, and yet they still moved to the song.

"Thank you," he mumbled. Ebi knew what he meant.

"I think we can be friends in the future, but we spent so many years together, and what I need now is time to get over us,"

She felt relieved as the music stopped again and they parted, simply staring at each other. Henry nodded and after a small hug, he reluctantly moved away from her, a solemn atmosphere following him, and yet, the jokester seemed to have grown up a bit from rejection. It has been an hour already, and as the lights brightened a bit, Ebi laughed as she looked at all the surprised couples in their costumes, rejoicing in how they found each other in the dark. In the distance, she watched as a side balcony door opened, and the ruffle of a light pink dress disappeared in the darkness.

* * *

><p>Tamaki wasn't used to being alone with Haruhi (especially in this story) and already found his heart pounding at the fact she had agreed to step outside with him… alone. She leaned against the balcony and sighed, closing her eyes.<p>

"I hope everything works out between Henry and Ebi-chan," she spoke. Tamaki sighed, thankful that she always knew how to lead the conversation. He moved to stand next to her, closer than he normally did.

"I admire the way you make others happy," he whispered. Haruhi leaned up and looked over at him.

"It's not like I try," she mumbled, raising an eyebrow. Tamaki locked eyes with her and felt his heart beat grow faster.

"Well, you make me happy, Haruhi," he explained. Haruhi chuckled a bit before glancing away, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"I know that, sempai," Tamaki didn't let the honorific change the way his heart was feeling at the moment and reached down, grabbing one of her hands. Haruhi looked back to him, a light gasp escaping her. "Sempai?"

"Haruhi," he gulped, damning the nerves that showed up every time his heart and gut decided to control his actions. He shook them away. "Don't you think it's time somebody made _you_ happy?" he asked. Haruhi felt her eyes widen and heart speed up.

"Tamaki, wha-"

In a quick movement he pulled her closer and leaned down, his lips finding hers in a strong kiss. Her eyes stayed open for only a moment before she gave in, moving her hands to his chest as he moved his around her. It was a short kiss, yes, but it calmed both their nerves while simultaneously igniting their hearts. Haruhi blushed again, lowering her head slightly and smiled as Tamaki kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Haruhi," he gulped up air and finally smiled in his ridiculous way. "Not like a father but like a boyfriend because I want you to be my girl-"

"Tamaki," Haruhi smiled as he paused and looked at her. "I love you," she spoke, laughing as his eyes instantly crunched up in what could be described as pure happiness. After another awkward kiss, Tamaki held Haruhi at arm's length and held a soft smile.

"Let me make you happy, Haruhi,"

* * *

><p>As the party dwindled down, Ebi found herself explaining the situation with Henry to her new friends and was amazed to find out that the party really had influenced at least one couple, at least in secret, for the time being. After gushing for a moment, they broke off again to dance some more and Ebi realized that Kaoru, the one person she hadn't danced with yet, had gone missing. She instinctively looked back over to where she had seen Haruhi leave to the balcony and shrugged, knowing she would most likely find him there. And boy did Ebi love being right.<p>

"Party foul," she watched as he flinched slightly and turned to watch her walk over to the spot on the railing next to him. "Out here all alone," she smirked and shivered slightly at the cooler air.

"Deja vu, huh?" Kaoru suggested, laughing internally at the fact it was the second time this week he had found himself on a balcony with Ebi. She smiled before moving closer to him.

"Thank you Kaoru for the advice you gave me the other night," she looked up at him. "Henry and I will stay friends, but he is going to give me the space I need," Kaoru looked down at her and nodded.

"I'm glad that is resolved," he shrugged. "Maybe now we can actually have fun and not deal with melancholy pasts, eh?"

Ebi giggled before blinking slowly, stepping closer to him and placing her hand on his upper arm. Kaoru felt his heart slow and clenched his teeth slightly; nervous of what exactly was happening at the moment. Ebi simply smiled and leaned up the small distance she needed to, with the help of her high-heels and looked at Kaoru again, her breath landing on his lips. His heart melted and as his eyelids dropped, he found his hands at her side, the hormones of a fifteen year old boy taking over. Finally her lips met his and Kaoru cursed his cliché brain as the mere few second, chaste kiss, lasted forever in his mind. Kaoru found his eyes slowly opening when she parted and was going to lean down to claim another, and then blame it on the heat of the moment when she giggled. His eyes snapped open and Ebi laughed even more, before moving her hand from his arm to her mouth.

"Wh-why'd you kiss?" Kaoru felt his face heat up as he couldn't even finish his sentence. Ebi grinned evilly and Karou cursed it, it reminding him too much of his brother.

"You won, Kao-chan," she explained and instantly, Kaoru snapped out of his daze. "Tamaki confessed to Haruhi,"

Kaoru widened his eyes and let a laugh escape him. The two laughed for a moment before he looked at Ebi in a strange way, even for him. Ebi rolled her eyes and patted his arm softly.

"Don't get any ideas, buddy," she giggled as he sighed. "That was our deal and I lost," she observed as he kept the small frown and almost frowned herself before hearing a more up-beat song, knowing Hikaru had succeeded in taking over the speaker system with the iPod Ebi had given him. "Come on, let's dance," Ebi urged, yanking Kaoru by the wrist.

_Hot and dangerous_, _if you're one of us then roll with us…_

Kaoru let the smile come back to his face as the two slipped back inside; joining their group in the middle of the dance floor, Ebi singing along to what Kaoru knew was an American song and was surprised to find the usual refined population of Ouran students dancing as if it was a night-club. Mori held Hunny up in a way so he could dance eye-to eye with Reiko while Renge threw herself Kyoya as the beat got stronger. Kaoru looked away as Kyoya leaned down to kiss her, embarrassed by how strangely in love they were. Tamaki and Haruhi found their own way to slow dance to the fast-faced song and Kaoru looked down at Ebi as she moved with him, her laughter and aura intoxicating. In such short time she had already to change the world of the host club and didn't seem fazed by how much had happened. Kaoru smiled; he couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

* * *

><p>AN: Ke$ha, I know, but it came on at work and while I had this entire scene in my head today, the two mixed and it worked. Anyways, a new story arc starts next! (Cue announcer voice!) Does Mori get the chance he's been wanting with Ebi? How do Tamaki and Haruhi date when everybody thinks she's a he? Will the rating be bumped up when Renge decides she can't resist Kyoya any longer? Uhh…


	9. Gaga, Ooh Lala

A/N: This weekend has been crazy! In other news, I bought a stuffed Hunny dressed as a bunny! And now for something completely different! (A super long, randomly thought up but not completely pointless answer to last chapter's first question… and more!)

* * *

><p>It has been a refreshing week after the masquerade, something Ebi was thankful for. Henry had left in good spirits and the next day, so did her father on another business trip he had put off while Henry was there. Love had blossomed after the party and it seemed Renge and Kyoya's scheme had linked more than a few couples together; Tamaki and Haruhi included. It was now a weekend before Halloween and after learning about the 'challenge' Renge had come up with the year before, she was anxious to know what might happen the next week. Today, however, was another 'party' if you could call it that; an outdoor festival Hunny's family had coordinated in the large plot of land next to his house. It was strange however, in the fact that so far, Ebi had only found Mori. Tamaki and Haruhi were off on a date of their own, as well as the ever obnoxious Kyoya and Renge. The twins were the only ones genuinely stuck at home with their mother who had returned from a business trip. Still, Ebi relished in the fact she could spend more time with Mori and hopefully work on their scheme of making the connection between Reiko and Hunny obvious to them. So far, it had been a quiet stroll through the food stands, Mori occasionally pausing as a girl from his host client list would acknowledge him. Ebi laughed, bumping him with her elbow as another walked away.<p>

"Aren't you so popular," she spoke smugly. Mori winced as he felt his cheeks heat up, watching as Ebi moved to one of the food stands they were near. She stumbled slightly, and smiled as Mori placed a hand on her shoulder to steady herself. "Thank you, Mo-chan," Mori blushed again as she used a new nickname. "I'm so not used to wearing such a nice kimono,"

And a wonderful kimono it was. Mori had not asked where it came from, but a keen glance of the stitching made him aware that it was hand-made and probably a family kimono, made exactly for these types of fall festivals. It was printed on white cloth with many hues of green and yellow, accented with shimmering thread of butterflies in certain places. In Mori's mind, it was beautiful. Moving in his own kimono, he felt himself more comfortable, and moved his hand from her shoulder to her back peering down at what she had been so interested in.

"What kind of doughnuts are these?" she asked, pointing to the sign then glancing at Mori with a worried expression. "I can't really read Japanese very well," she explained, letting her finger drop. Mori raised an eyebrow in confusion before looking at the sign again.

"Plain," he said. "Western style deep fried," Ebi seemed delighted and picked one up before looking at it strangely.

"Just no hole," she laughed, taking a bite and then extending it to him. "These are my favorite snacks ever," Mori gulped as the lady behind the counter covered her mouth in what he knew to be what Renge called 'the flames of moe' but took a bite, watching as Ebi handed the lady a few yen. "I have yet to find a Dunkin' Doughnuts nearby,"

She linked her arm in his and Mori was about to respond as they stepped out from the vendor to only find the excited and joyous voice of Hunny next to him, leaping up to give Mori a hug, separating Ebi from him. Mori sighed, hugging his cousin back before watching as he leaned like a toddler over to Ebi, her taking him from Mori's grasp, struggling a bit to hold his weight and simply let him slide down her side until he reached the floor. Hunny beamed, still holding one of Ebi's arms.

"Wow, Ebi-chan! You look pretty!" Ebi smiled, looking away and pretended to be bashful. Hunny then looked to Mori and winked, making Mori's blood heat up. "What do _you_ think, Mori?" His expression fell before Ebi looked back over at him, finding a delighted look on Hunny's face while Mori slowly melted away.

"_Hunny_-_sempai!_"

Mori couldn't have been more thankful for the arrival of Reiko running up to them, her dark blue kimono with orange accents contrasting against Hunny's white and blue one as he hugged her in greeting. The blush that appeared on her cheeks made Ebi slide up next to Mori, a smirk on her lips.

"You ran off," Reiko paused, catching her breath before seeing Mori and Ebi next to Hunny. "Oh. Hi Takashi-sempai and Ebi-san," she greeted, slightly bowing. Hunny linked his arm in hers before looking back at Mori and Ebi.

"I just wanted to say hello and tell Ebi how _cute_ she looked," he yelled, waving as he walked back into the crowd with Reiko on his arm. Mori reached out slightly.

"Mitsukuni," he mumbled. "Why is he going alone?" he pondered. Ebi linked her arm in his, making his heart stop and his eyes drop to her body turned to his.

"Isn't it obvious?" she whispered. Mori gulped as she smiled the devilish grin, seemingly borrowed from the Hitachiin twins. "He wants to be alone with Rei-chan!" she announced, before giggling. Mori sighed, thankful she had said that and… "And give _us_ some space,"

Mori stopped mid-thought and let his face turn white as she giggled, linking her arm in his and leaning against him as they continued to walk. Slowly he recouped enough to understand why Hunny left; and Ebi was right. Mori had always been Hunny's unconventional 'wing man' in the host club, and now, in the real dating world, Hunny had transformed into Mori's 'hitch'. Sighing again, Mori finally allowed himself to smile. He could get used to this feeling.

* * *

><p>As the sun set on the festival, Hunny found himself sitting upon a hill away from the crowd, happily enjoying a cupcake with Reiko underneath a cherry tree that wasn't quite in bloom yet. Hunny wasn't used to being in the obvious romantic situation he was in at the moment, but knew Reiko wasn't used to any kind of romance at all. She could barely talk when it was just the two of them, and it made Hunny genuinely concerned that maybe she really didn't like him after all. Still, Hunny reminded himself that she was here, and was here with him, alone. She had her own cupcake, and while she was also a close person to him that did not enjoy sweets as much as him, he smiled as she ate it as if she was savoring every bite. Suddenly, a thought came to Hunny, one that actually made his face heat up. He scooted closer to Reiko and watched as she paused in a bite, looking down at him.<p>

"Mitsukuni,"

Hunny let his heart flutter at the sound of his name on her lips and then raised his cupcake.

"I got a chocolate one," he showed. "What kind did you get?" he asked, peering at her hand. Reiko raised an eyebrow before lifting it slightly herself.

"Strawberry," she answered. Hunny leaned closer, his usual over-abundant smile softening into a calmer one. A _seductive_ one.

"Can I taste?" he whispered, making the brightest shade of red appear on Reiko's cheeks. She parted her lips in a small gasp before letting her eyes slide close as Hunny drew closer, finally relieving the tension with a small kiss on her lips. It lasted for a few moments, and when they parted, Hunny beamed slightly, titling his head and leaning against Reiko as she blushed again.

"Hunny," Reiko spoke, a slight infliction of embarrassment in her voice. Hunny giggled, leaning his head so it rested against her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Rei-chan, you taste yummy,"

Reiko couldn't have melted any faster.

* * *

><p>Haruhi was a little confused when she opened her eyes, her head throbbing as she sat up, finding herself in what she assumed as the third music room with the lights off. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed the open shades, alerting her to the fact it was actually night time. Widening her eyes, she winced, realizing her head hurt more than she had initially realized. What seemed like just moments ago, she was enjoying pumpkin tea with her friends, a brew Renge had suggested, considering the holiday.<p>

"I guess it _is_ Halloween," Haruhi mumbled before finally standing up, only to find something at her feet. Raising her eyebrow once more, the object rolled over and groaned. Observing it the darkness, Haruhi gasped before realizing it was Ebi, who had seemingly lost some of her clothes since the last time she had seen her. Haruhi then noticed something as she looked down at herself; so had she.

"Why are you in your underwear?" Ebi asked, her voice straining as she sat up, then stood, her cheeks heating up as she noticed her own problem. "Who the hell stripped us?" she then questioned, more harshly. Haruhi gulped, rubbing her arm anxiously.

"I wouldn't worry too much; this just seems like another Halloween prank like last year," Haruhi assured. Ebi hummed as they moved to try and locate something to wear other than just their skivvies.

"Wasn't last year a test of courage? This seems like sexual harassment," she joked, laughing as Haruhi made a sound of discomfort, but not for the obvious reason. Ebi looked at her again, finding her holding a paper in one hand, a bag in the other, squinting to read the note in the darkness. "What is that?" she asked. Haruhi sighed, shaking her head.

"_You are now in a contest of wit and strength to find the objects that become only meaningful to you when you lose it; your clothes. Good luck!" _Haruhi frowned, an annoyed look on her face. "I can't tell who wrote it,"

Ebi and her exchanged glances before holding pained expressions, trying to hold back laughter as they opened the bag, only to find a pair of blue briefs, obviously belonging to one of the guys.

"Does this mean…"

"…everybody else is naked?"

* * *

><p>Mori had already gotten over the upset of awaking naked in the pool room and was more worried about the fate of Hunny, who was probably more horrified than anybody else. As expected (by whom else but you who are reading this!) he blasted through his first two clues, locating his underwear and uniform pants with ease. It was the next clue that had him stuck in his tracks, leaned against a window in one of the many hallways at Ouran.<p>

_Shrimp coat-tail. _

It obviously meant Ebi had hold of his jacket, which meant she was wearing it, probably nude underneath it. A sudden urgency to protect the modesty of a young girl came forth in his mind, and he turned, only to widen his eyes and turn back around as he saw just what he _didn't_ want to see.

"_Mo-chan!_"

Ebi was indeed wearing his jacket, something she had acquired whilst in the hunt for clues; Haruhi walking after her in an oversized version of the white button-up male Ouran students wore under their coats. Mori didn't dare open his eyes as Ebi struggled to turn him around, her laughs not reassuring him. The girls struggled a bit more with the tall and quiet man until a giggle was heard behind them, Hunny literally bouncing towards them in what they saw as bunny print boxers, his face not even contorting in a way a normal 17 year old boy's face should when they see a half-naked girl (especially when there was two). Instead, Hunny poked Mori, smiling at the girls.

"Takashi, they are dressed, but it's ok if you don't want to open your eyes, I'll lead you!"

Mori nodded as Hunny grabbed his hand, the shorter boy looking back at the girls.

"Maybe we should try to find everybody else, I think everybody has somebody else's clothes," Hunny seemed to hum along, trailing in front of the girls with his hand firmly attached to Mori's. Haruhi moved to walk next to Hunny and looked down at him.

"Have you seen Tamaki?" she asked, blushing as Hunny smiled at the fact she left off the honorific. He shook his head and leapt ahead of the group, making Mori pause in his step, Ebi stopping to make sure he didn't run into anything, as his eyes were still closed. Hunny held a face at Haruhi and giggled once more.

"Why? Do you have something that belongs to him?" he asked, sticking out his tongue. Haruhi felt the heat rise to her cheeks before leaping forward in an attempt to catch Hunny. Ebi reached out for her, but decided it wouldn't be safe to leave Mori in his spot.

"Come on, wild type, let's go," she mumbled, grabbing his wrist and moving to run forward. The moment he moved behind her however, her footing failed and by the time she looked down to see what had caused her to trip, she found herself in the air, caught in a net, Mori next to her with his eyes tightly closed, and yet a red tint to his entire face. "My life is once again a joke," she whispered before looking off down the hall, Haruhi and Hunny long gone. Mori cleared his throat behind her and she moved her mouth to the side, aware of the fact she was practically sitting in his lap, in her underwear, her modesty only saved by the fact she was also wearing Mori's jacket.

"I apologize," Mori simply spoke, finally opening his eyes to assess the situation. Ebi offered a meek smile, looking over her shoulder as he tilted his head back in dismay.

"Didn't something like this happen last year?" she asked. Mori shrugged.

"Probably,"

Mori gulped as Ebi moved, her arms moving to pull at the coat, the obvious over-size of the coat working in her favor. Still, a small peek of red fabric flashed as she shifted so she could see Mori better and he felt his face flush the color away, his brain going into overtime. She softly laughed at his expression before he shook away the expression, not looking down as he moved the coat she wore down some more so it covered the fabric of her panties. Ebi let herself blush before letting herself laugh, wanting to ease the tension. Mori looked at her laugh before letting a small grin come to his lips.

"I guess we're stuck here till somebody walks by," she sighed, shrugging as she made herself as comfortable as she could. Mori kept his smile.

_Not that being stuck is a bad thing_.

* * *

><p>Kaoru and Hikaru couldn't have been bothered with the task at hand, finding most of their articles of clothing easily in the school, sometimes wondering about the others, but as they continued on, looking only for their shoes and undershirts, they had yet to run into anybody. Hikaru sighed, looking over at Kaoru who seemed to be just as bored.<p>

"This Halloween kind of sucks, don't you think?" Kaoru shrugged.

"I'm still hoping for some sort of dramatic conclusion,"

The two continued to walk and their prayers were somewhat answered as they turned down another hall and found the trap that had claimed two victims, Kaoru instantly finding his face red while Hikaru leapt forward, yelling up at Mori who also noticed him.

"Yo Mori-sempai, is that Ebi-chan with you?" he asked, making Mori press a finger to his lips.

"She fell asleep," he mumbled before gulping as he glanced to Kaoru who seemed to subconsciously shooting daggers at him with his eyes. "You wouldn't happen to have a way to let us down?" he asked then, Hikaru raising an eyebrow as he went over the usual word-count Mori had. Hikaru looked back to Kaoru and he shrugged before shaking his head. Hikaru groaned before glancing up and seeing where the rope was tied to, finding it hanging in the distance.

"Hold on!" Hikaru yelled, running towards it and untying it from the pole it was attached to. Slowly, he lowered the two to the ground, Mori standing up with a sleeping Ebi in his arms, bridal style. Kaoru frowned slightly, but sighed in relief as Ebi stirred awake, looking up at Mori before smiling herself as he set her down, looking away from her form. Kaoru let himself frown again as he observed Mori's jacket over her shoulders, covering up her underwear. Hikaru landed near him, his arm thrown over his shoulder. He was about to say something smart about the two when a scream was heard in the distance, the four turning as both Hunny and Haruhi ran towards them, a naked (save for the blanket still tied around his waist) Tamaki following them. Hikaru started laughing and instantly, it cheered Kaoru up, the entire group laughing as Hunny jumped onto Mori's back, Haruhi moving around them as Tamaki tried to hug her, his cries of 'missing her' making the group laugh louder. Finally, as they calmed, it was agreed they head back to the music room, to try and figure out what had happened to them; their clothes could be recovered later. It was when they opened the music room's doors when Ebi finally spoke up.

"Wait, where's…"

Before the entire group, they found the room decorated, a large array of costumes on clothes racks lining the walls and makeup covering the tables. However, that was the last thing in the entire groups' mind as they observed the make-out scene in front of them, the two lovers they had grown to know as Kyoya and Renge pausing from a feverish kiss to look over at them. The two were fully dressed, and while that was typically a normal thing, it wasn't to the group.

"_You_!" Tamaki yelled, leaping at them. Kyoya simply pressed his hand to Tamaki's forehead, stopping him in his tracks as he fought against him. Renge giggled, leaning against him as she wiped her mouth.

"Sorry for the game, guys," she paused as the rest of the group lost the color in their faces. "We just needed time to decorate the room for that party that is happening tonight," The group fell over, including Tamaki who fell in front of Kyoya.

"Are you kidding me?" Haruhi mumbled with her face void of all expression. Kyoya smirked, nodding his head as he looked at his watch.

"It's about a quarter till 8 and we invited many of our guests to a costume party tonight," Renge beamed up at him but paused as Ebi cleared her throat.

"Didn't we do that last chapter?" she mumbled, shifting her eyes to Kaoru who seemed to hold the same annoyed expression. Renge suddenly appeared in front of them and brought back her fearful lady-manager self.

"Don't insult us!" she screamed before pointing at the costume racks at the other side of the room. "No go change, the lot of you!" she ran after them as they all scurried away, before moving back to Kyoya who looked on at the group as they quickly tried to find costumes.

"You have proven to be a formidable force to be reckoned with, Renge," he complemented, Renge giggling before looking back at the group.

"Tonight is just starting!"

* * *

><p><em>Last night, I had a dream about you. In this dream, I'm dancing right beside you…<em>

Under the request of Ebi, she had handed her iPod back over to Hikaru, who had once again hijacked the DJ table that had stood in the third music room. The crowd has made the party into more of a dance club than the party Renge had anticipated, but it didn't seem to bother the 'nurse' as she danced with her 'doctor', Kyoya. Mori had gone back to protecting Hunny from the many girls who had dressed up like 'bunnies' (the playboy kind) and Ebi found herself without a dance partner as princess Haruhi was dragged away by prince Tamaki, the crowd of host club customers surrounding them in an outrage of 'whoops'. Just as Ebi was going to take a rest, she found a hand on her shoulder, breath on her ear.

"_Why don't you play the game_?"

Ebi turned and beamed as Kaoru, dressed as one of the Weasley twins (you know, Harry Potter?) sang along to the song, a smile on his face. She grinned in return.

"That reminds me," she grabbed his arms, yanking them towards her and initiated a dance. He looked at her for an answer. "What are we going to do now that we got Haruhi and Tamaki together?" she paused to let Kaoru twirl her, the strange way they made a Waltz fit into a Daft Punk unknown to anybody else. Kaoru shrugged as her hands intertwined with his, the two integrating a swing dance step into their 'routine'.

"Maybe we can help Hikaru, or uncover what's really happening with Kyoya and Renge," Ebi turned her body so she could look over at the two dancing rather suggestively as a new song started, momentarily pressing her back to Kaoru's chest so she could get a good luck. "I don't think they are trying hard enough to hide their 'forbidden love'," Kaoru finished, gulping as Ebi danced against him for a brief moment before turning back around to look at him.

_Love, love, love I want your love…_

"I like that plan better than Hika-chan," she frowned slightly. "No offense," Kaoru shrugged and Ebi giggled, leaning so he could hear her. "Plus, my cousin isn't coming to visit me till the New Year!" Kaoru shook his head in laughter.

"Is that another story-arc in the making?" he joked. Ebi burst out in laughter as Kaoru looked at her dancing a little stronger to the music. "Who are you supposed to be, anyways?" Ebi paused, pointing her finger in his face as the song got to the breakdown.

"_I'm a free bitch, baby_!"

* * *

><p>AN: A long awaited (not really) new story-arc starts next! Will Hunny continue to be cutely suductive? Will Mori go over his 15 word count for a second time? Will I stop using the word 'will' to start every question? Probably not!


	10. Snow Jobs

A/N: Good news everybody! Christopher Walken is my new economics teacher! His voice influenced me to take notes not on the basics of microeconomics, but instead outline the next few chapters! This is a math lesson; outlined chapters = frequent updates. But! There is a variable. That variable is you! Now, here's some plot development!

* * *

><p>It was now the end of the second week of November, and while most of the members of the host club had gone back to a strong focus on their studies to prepare for the exams that were just around the corner, there was still room for games to be played. The weather had cooled and while it did not snow in the city, there was still a definite chill in the air. Ebi, being a South-Western-USA girl, wasn't used to winter weather in the slightest, and the first day it dropped below 60 degrees, she had ditched her signature dresses for jeans and long sleeves, adding sweaters to every wardrobe. So to say Kaoru wasn't surprised by her look when she opened her door that November afternoon, was an understatement. With a laugh, he entered, watching as she breathed out as she closed the door, looking at his grey suit.<p>

"How are you not cold?" she asked, rubbing her arms before tightening her sweater across her chest. Kaoru shrugged.

"After looking at Kyoya's planner, I saw that they are going to a dinner meeting where he will meet her father, probably for the first time," he eyed her. "It's going to be a fancy place, so you'll have to change anyways,"

"That explains the suit," she mumbled before walking towards her room, socked feet shuffling. Kaoru kicked off his shoes before following. "I don't have anything _fancy_," she paused in thought, sliding back her bedroom door. "I think the closest thing I have is my senior prom dress," she sighed, opening her closet door. Kaoru raised an eyebrow from the seat he had taken at her desk, spinning slightly on the chair.

"What's a prom?" he asked, watching as she fingered the overabundance of dresses, looking for something. Ebi chuckled.

"It's a dance for upper-classmen," she turned, catching Kaoru playing with the stuffed cat she had on the desk. "It signifies the end of the year and comes about a week or so before graduation for seniors,"

Kaoru skewed his mouth to the side, and Ebi took that as him being bored. He didn't respond, yet watched as Ebi motioned for him to turn around, Kaoru blushing as he knew she was changing. Glancing over at Ebi again after she cleared her throat, he let his expression soften as she motioned to her dress flashing a small smile. It was a strapless dress, yes, but the way the collar ruffled was elegant, rather than sleazy. It was a soft pearl white until under the bust line, where it fell into a silky black, it falling straight along Ebi's hips like a pencil skirt to a little past her knees. Kaoru smiled.

"That's pretty fancy, Ebi-chan," he stood up and looked down at her as she slid some simple heels on.

"Good, I have a fancy blue sweater I can wear over it, but I'm bringing my coat," she pointed at his face, holding onto his shoulder as she pulled one last heel on. Kaoru rolled his eyes, thinking about the fact that Haruhi also was one to struggle in heels. He let his breath catch in his throat though when Ebi touched his chest, bringing out his tie and straightening it. She caught his eyes and smirked, dropping it before it was fully fixed. "Sorry, it was crooked…"

As she trailed off, Kaoru felt, for the first time, a sense of embarrassment coming from the typical easy-going girl. Fueled by something he was unaware of, he grabbed her hand that hung in the air and moved it back to the tie, noting the way her pupils dilated.

"It's ok," he assured in a low voice.

As much as she tried to hide the pink tint that came to her cheeks, Kaoru saw it, and while it boosted his ego, he also felt something else click in his brain. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite grasp what he was feeling as Ebi finished retying and tightening his tie, even tucking it back into the suit before tapping him on the chest. Blame it on his young teenage brain, or hormones, but Kaoru was definitely left dumb struck by such a simple action. Ebi gulped softly before moving aside him, moving her hair back into the low side-ponytail she always wore. Kaoru didn't want to leave on an awkward note, and just as he was about to say something stupid, Ebi turned and laughed, sticking out her tongue.

"Let's go stalk our friends, yeah?"

* * *

><p>Satoshi Kochi watched as his one and only daughter left the apartment they shared, dressed up with the boy he knew to have some kind of connection to her, escorting her. With a tentative look on his face, he followed, laughing at the fact he had missed out on an opportunity to scare the young lad again. After all, he was dressed in his traditional kimono garb that he typically wore when at home. The older man sighed, and slowly opened the door, watching as the boy opened the door for his daughter, grinning larger than most fathers would when spying on their daughters going on dates with men. The town car pulled away and he fully opened the door, smiling wide in the direction the car went. Taking in a large breath, he felt like jumping up and down, knowing his daughter was on her way to happiness. However, this also meant she would soon be leaving the coop, moving into a place with this boy, then one day he would come over and ask for her hand in marriage and he would have to escort his daughter down the aisle then one day be told he was going to be a grandfather then…<p>

"Kochi-san?"

Satoshi paused in thought, turning to see who he remembered as Tamaki Suoh, holding a confused look at the older man. Satoshi laughed, waving the young blonde over.

"Suoh, what brings you here?" he asked, his bellowing voice making Tamaki lean back. He stuck one hand in his pocket before pointing upward.

"My girlfriend lives above you," he mumbled, gulping as Satoshi's face lit up in delight and he grabbed Tamaki's hand, shaking in up and down.

"Fujioka's daughter?" he closed his eyes in delight as he continued to dislocate Tamaki's shoulder. "That's wonderful news!" he finally let go of Tamaki and the boy frowned, utterly confused by the emotions that were being displayed before him. "Now then, do you remember our wager?"

Tamaki held up his hands in defense, backing up until his back met the gate that divided the doorsteps of the bottom apartments from the sidewalk. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry Kochi-san but I am on my way to find Haruhi," he gulped as Satoshi's expression dropped. "She's in the shopping district downtown with Mei-chan and I wanted to surprise her with some news of an upcoming trip," Satoshi's eyes lit up again and Tamaki sighed, not taking it as a good sign.

"Well, that's exactly where I need to go anyways!" he puffed up his chest, producing keys from a pocket in his hakama and locking the apartment door. Tamaki raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me, Kochi-san, but what exactly are you talking about?"

Satoshi instantly turned around and raised his hands in the air, showing off two thumbs up, a wide smile on his face.

"You, sir, are going to help me secure a strong and healthy relationship between Hitachiin and my Ebi cake!"

Tamaki was about to protest when Satoshi grabbed his arm, throwing him into the passenger seat of his small car, the older man speeding away from the curb in a hurry. There was no turning back now.

The stalkers had now become the stalked.

* * *

><p>Haruhi thought she had seen a ghost when she saw Renge walk behind her, the reflection of her form unmistakable in the building's window. Turning around, she watched as the oblivious girl walked along side an older man, unmistakably her father.<p>

"I think you'll find him delightful, father," she paused in a giggle. "He's the man I want to marry!"

Haruhi let her eyes widen and turned around again, earning a weird glance from Mei, who stood next to her, still tan as ever. The two had not seen each other in a while, as the schedules of the two schools they went to kept them apart for long periods of time. Now, however, it was a nice break for Haruhi to catch up with a good friend, but she knew better to think that a day that started normal would end normal. Mei raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she mumbled, looking over past Haruhi's shoulder. "Isn't that that girl that prances around that host club of yours?" she asked.

Haruhi let her initial shock fall away as she realized what she had just heard Renge say. She nodded before yanking Mei behind her, slowly following the excited girl as they entered a restaurant. After realizing they would never be able to get into a fancy place like the restaurant that stood before her, she looked to the patio area and saw a bench on the sidewalk in front of it, empty. Mei slightly protested as Haruhi sat them on it, the tanned girl finally holding Haruhi by the shoulders and forcing her to look at her in the eyes.

"Ok, I know you are dating Suoh, but that doesn't mean you need to start acting as _crazy_ as him," she announced. Haruhi placed a finger over her mouth and turned around, hiding half of her face behind the bench as she noticed Renge being brought outside to a table where a man, who was now standing to greet her and her father, sat. "Is that…"

"_Haruhi_?"

Haruhi turned around again to see Tamaki, Mei laughing as the two held the same dumbfounded exchange before standing at the presence of another man, who was dressed in traditional garb. Haruhi stood at that point as well, glancing over at the man she knew to be Ebi's father.

"Kochi-san, what are you doing here?" she asked. Satoshi pointed over to the patio area of the restaurant and the four piled back onto the bench, all posing themselves in a ridiculous manner to 'hide' themselves. Mei raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you and what are we doing?" Mei's question went unanswered as Haruhi hushed her.

"Is that, Kaoru and Ebi sitting over by Kyoya and Renge?" Tamaki whispered before widening his eyes. "Why do they look like they are in disguise?"

"Maybe they are eavesdropping on Kyo and Renge," Mei mumbled, looking over at Haruhi. The two girls nodded, Tamaki glancing at Satoshi as his expression failed as he jumped up, letting out a cry.

"I thought he was escorting her on a date!" he yelled, gaining the most unwanted attention ever. Instantly Haruhi and Tamaki blushed as Ebi and Kaoru looked over, their smiled dropping into shock, Mei rolling her eyes, disinterested.

"_Dad_?" she yelled, before leaning over the metal gate that separated the patio café from the sidewalk and grabbing the color of his kimono, glaring at him. "You _followed_ me?" she yelled.

A cough came behind them and the group turned to find Kyoya standing near them, a black aura floating behind him, his glasses reflecting the sun as he stared at them.

"You're one to talk, Miss Kochi," he let his teeth clench. "You followed _us_,"

Ebi let go of her father and Mei simply laughed at the group before looking at Kyoya.

"They have a good reason," she looked over at Renge who sat astounded, her father holding a confused glance. "You and Renge? I would have never guessed,"

Haruhi gulped, but found no reaction from Kyoya. Instead, he sighed, turning around and walking back to the table as Renge waved them over. Kaoru looked at Kyoya as he pushed his glasses up his nose a bit.

"So you guys aren't hiding anything from each other's families, are you?" he asked. Renge shook her head and reached over to grasp Kyoya's hand.

"We just wanted to play with you guys and get the romance feelings flowing," she tilted her head in a smile. "Kyoya and I have had the full support from our families since we started dating,"

"Wait," Haruhi interjected, raising an eyebrow. "Exactly how long have you guys been together?" she asked. Kyoya smirked.

"Over a year now," he glanced over at Renge's father who seemed amused by the teenager's conversation. "Yet, this is the first time I have been able to meet her father," he mused.

Kaoru and Ebi shook their heads in defeat, realizing their game was also over. They shared a bored look and Tamaki noticed, clearing his throat.

"I don't mean to stray the conversation but I just got news from Hunny-sempai!" he announced, earning the eyes of his friends back on him. "He is treating us to a snow trip to his family cabin in the woods," he beamed and grinned as Renge bounced in her seat, clapping her hands before wrapping herself around Kyoya's arm in excitement.

"That sounds wonderful," she squealed before batting her eyes, her excitement pausing. "Who is all going?"

"The usual gang, but…" Tamaki turned to Mei. "Mei-chan is invited if she wishes, it would even out the girls a bit," he suggested. Mei widened her eyes before nodding, growing excited as well.

A snow day with friends.

_How excellent._

* * *

><p>The cabin Hunny had was a lot more like a small guest mansion made of brick and wood. Ebi and Mei held the same astounded look, Haruhi smirking at their reaction as she was far used to the large houses and guest houses at this point. While she still saw nothing too special about them, she still knew to the others, the lives most of the host club members lived were drastically different from hers and the other girls. Quickly enough, rooms were distinguished, and after it was discovered there wasn't enough rooms for the eleven people, the teenaged group let their minds run wild after Haruhi agreed she'd share with Tamaki. His face had exploded into the brightest shade of red, his body deflating to the ground and for the first time in a long time, he decided to occupy a corner while the twins whistled lowly behind him. The group didn't make a big deal when Renge said she'd share with Kyoya, their relationship more sickening to the others than influential like Renge had hoped. Then the twins opted to share, saying it would be just like home. After that, the food Ebi and Haruhi had brought was broken open and after a fire was started, the evil and methodical Renge was back.<p>

"Let's play never have I ever!" she yelped, making Haruhi and Reiko turn red, but sighed in relief as the twins waved their hands in boredom.

"_Boring_," they shouted back at the same time. Renge glared, her large grin falling into a tight pout as she fell back against Kyoya. Kaoru looked at Hikaru and the two held a devilish look, making Haruhi drop her relief again.

"Instead, let's play…" Kaoru started and Hikaru beamed as the two looked at the group.

"_Truth or dare_," they spoke lowly, making dramatic music play in everybody's head.

Ebi laughed, leaning forward from her spot in-between Kaoru and Mori, looking over at Haruhi who groaned and Mei who seemed just as excited. They were all in a circle around the indoor fire pit, the glow of the fire making the situation a little more hairy. Even there was a slight protest from the rest of the group, Hikaru leaned forward.

"I'll go first," he made himself look as ready as possible, looking at Kaoru.

"Truth or dare, my dear brother?" he asked.

"Truth!" Hikaru announced. Kaoru was about to ask when Hunny leaned forward.

"Is it true you don't underwear, Hika-chan?" he asked, as innocently as he could. The entire group looked at him in shock before whipping their head back at Hikaru who did not seem distressed by the question.

"Why yes, Hunny-sempai," he declared, making Haruhi groan yet again as she covered her face with her hand. "But only in the school uniform,"

"Maybe we should go over rules," Kaoru addressed, looking at Hunny. "The dare and truth are made up by the person who asks but they are allowed to consult the person next to them and the intensity of the dares and truths _must_ increase or…"

"A penalty game," Hikaru mused, earning another double groan from Haruhi and Reiko. "My turn!" he quipped before looking around and finally looking at Mori.

"Mori-sempai!" he grinned as Mori held a stoic, yet anxious face. "Truth, or dare?" he asked as smoothly as possible. Mori didn't answer and glanced at his lap before letting his mind break.

"Truth?" he asked back. Hikaru looked at Hunny who nodded.

"Do you fancy the panties of Ebi-chan?"

Ebi laughed, looking at Mori who let his soul leave him. He gulped.

"Dare," he changed.

Hikaru, and most of the others in the group giggled. He leaned down as Hunny tugged on his arm, Mori watching, now scared out of his mind as Hunny whispered to Hikaru.

"Kiss Miss Kochi,"

Kaoru felt that strange feeling from the other day come back and chocked on his laugh, watching as the rest of the group whistled, including Ebi.

_At least she's treating it like a game_.

Mori frowned, already not a fan of this game. In Mori's mind, he found answering the question disrespectful and the dare even more degrading. Not to him, but to Ebi-chan. Looking over at her, he was somewhat relieved by her grin, but then found himself nervous. Did she want him to answer the question, or kiss her? What kind of kiss did it have to be?

"Mo-chan," Ebi leaned forward next to him and laughed softly. "It's ok," she assured. Mori skewed his mouth to the side and leaned down, the group chanting his name 'supportively'. He was about to push his lips to hers when Kaoru suddenly stood up, and as the group looked at him, he widened his eyes before pointing behind him, a strange look in his eyes.

"Bathroom," was all he said.

The entire group fell into a strange silence, Ebi and Mori still leaned near each other, confused. Hikaru shrugged and stood up, walking after his brother. Mori thought he was safe but froze as a kiss was pressed to his cheek, Ebi pulling away a moment later, making the group come back to laughter. Mori glared at his cousin and crossed his arms.

"Mitsukuni; truth or dare?" he asked. Hunny bounced slightly.

"Dare!" he yelped proudly. Mori still didn't understand the name of the game and paused in thought before Ebi leaned over, whispering in his ear and producing a small box of Pocky.

"You will play a kissing game with Rei-chan!" Ebi announced, handing a Pocky stick over to Hunny. The black haired girl blushed, obviously knowing what the game was as Hunny stared at the stick. "Both of you eat it till it snaps, and if it doesn't snap you have to kiss!" Ebi explained.

"That's easy!" Hunny announced before placing it in his mouth, but failure hit him as he simply just ate the snack himself, his sweet tooth failing him. Reiko let her mouth drop into a dumbfounded state before Hunny leaned over, giggling. "I just wanted to kiss you," he spoke, pecking her lips making a red glow come to her as the group whistled again.

Laughter was something Kaoru didn't want to hear as he splashed his face with water, shaking his head as he thought about the weird feeling that made him stand up from the group when Mori was about to kiss Ebi. As easy as it was for him to discuss the feeling of others to everybody else, he couldn't manage to grasp ahold of his own.

"Typical," Hikaru finished Kaoru's thought verbally and sat down on the closed toilet, looking up at his brother who held himself over the sink. "I fall out of love and you fall _in_ love,"

Kaoru felt his ears heat up and heart stop, his breath catching itself in his throat.

"_What_?" he yelped. Hikaru laughed, it echoing off the bathroom walls.

"Face it Kaoru," Hikaru watched as Kaoru gripped the sink tighter. "We will eventually go our own ways and that was tested when I fell for Haruhi," Kaoru finally looked to his brother, who was for once, speaking honestly and calmly. "You've found somebody to replace me,"

"Hika…" Kaoru trailed off as his stomach churned.

"You broke the rules," Hikaru mused, showing off a smile. "You fell in love with Ebi-chan," he finally spoke to the open world, making Kaoru feel like a million light-bulbs go off in his head and yet, the generator didn't start. "Not that I'm surprised," Hikaru stood up and patted his brother on the back. "However, if you lose your virginity before me, so help me God I will make sure it will be your last time,"

Kaoru didn't feel uplifted by Hikaru's joke as he left, looking at the drain in the sink and frowning. Hikaru was rarely right about this sort of stuff. It was always him that pushed reality in other people's faces, and now he felt as if Hikaru had done just that for him. Still, Kaoru felt that what he had said was just a seed he was planting, that it couldn't be true and that Hikaru was teasing. Kaoru closed his eyes, satisfied with the fact there was no way the feelings he had was love.

_Yeah right_.

* * *

><p>AN: Dun. DUN. **DUN**.


	11. Snow Fall

A/N: I got my Hunny Bunny in the mail today and it is the cutest thing on my bookshelf. He speaks to my brain when I have writers block and influences me to write! Finally, here's a hint at things; this focuses more on EbixMorixKaoru but next chapter takes a turn towards something else.

* * *

><p>Ebi woke up that winter morning in the cabin feeling unusually warm. It wasn't the heater that made her feel that way either. Something strange had floated into her brain last night, and she didn't want to let it bloom even more than it had. The moment Kaoru stood up from the group, she knew it was because of jealousy, but why he was jealous; she hadn't a clue. They were only playing a game, weren't they?<p>

Her usual smile faltered as she wrapped a sweater around herself, slowly walking out to the kitchen area. It was a lot earlier than she expected, and it was still mostly dark out, with only a hint of blue in the sky. Knowing that the rest of the group was probably asleep, she wandered to the sliding door of the patio and stepped out, her socked feet twitching at the cold floor. Her eyes were closed at first, but then she felt a presence and turned, finding curious eyes watching her.

"Oh, hey Ebi,"

Ebi looked at Kaoru as he left off the honorific, his expression a lot more flustered than it usually was when they talked. Ebi raised an eyebrow, sensing the awkwardness seeping off of him.

"Kao-chan," she tried using the cuteness of Hunny, but it only made the red tint on Kaoru's face grow deeper. "Uhh…" she paused, pulling back her mouth in a confused expression.

"Sorry about last night, I had a weird sense of jealousy,"

Ebi let her eyes widen at his outburst, and when she looked back at him, she found his face a little more relaxed, and yet his eyes didn't meet hers. She offered a small, comforting smile.

"Maybe we've been spending so much time together," she titled her head to the side, thinking. "Me coming up with plans with somebody else probably fueled that, you think?"

Kaoru finally lifted his eyes to look at her and felt that weird feeling Hikaru had tried to explain to him the night before. Kaoru knew he was just making stuff up, because the feeling disappeared. Ebi felt the relief come to her mind when Kaoru smiled, knowing that whatever happened last night could be explained away; it was an easy way out.

"Are you trying to hook somebody else up now?" he asked, turning his head as the sun started to peek over the horizon. Ebi giggled, nodding.

"Mori and I are going to follow Reiko and Hunny down to the slopes today to see if he'll finally stop teasing and make it official," she paused. "Now that Renge and Kyoya's relationship is out in the open, it seems the only people left to push is them,"

Kaoru laughed softly, making Ebi look over at him.

"His birthday is coming up, and he seems more nervous than usual," he looked at her. "I don't think we're done playing games," he joked. Ebi laughed.

"Well, maybe you can do some private detective work and figure out what he's up to…" she trailed off again before letting her smile fall. Kaoru looked at her as her smile grew.

"What about you, Ebi?" he asked, letting his voice fall. Ebi leaned against the railing and he saw a small tint of red come to her face. He then gulped as she sighed.

"Well… playing truth or dare last night made me feel like I was in high school again," she giggled, looking over at him with her cheek to her crossed arms on the wood railing of the patio. Kaoru continued to stare at her as her eye lit up. "Now that I am resolved from Henry, I think I can move on," Kaoru smiled for her before she sighed again, looking up as the sun peeked over the horizon. "Who knows, maybe I'll fall in love while I'm here,"

Kaoru's heart froze again and everything Hikaru had told him came flooding back. And yet, his mind yelled at him that he was just being irrational. He was young, and was probably experiencing 'friendship jealousy', or the feeling a protective big brother or father feels when their sister or daughter decides to pursue a love. Smiling, Kaoru blamed it on that as Ebi closed her eyes, her mind obviously on the future months.

Unknown to him, Kaoru was turning into the old Tamaki.

* * *

><p>As strange as it made him feel, Mori allowed Ebi to hold onto his arm as they walked in the snow outside the slope lodge, their moves cautious as they followed the always excited Hunny and always nervous Reiko stop from a round of snowboarding to grab coffee in the café. It was Deja vu for Ebi as they sat at a nearby table, Mori disguising himself with a fake moustache and ski cap while Ebi sat so that Hunny and Reiko couldn't see her.<p>

"Can you hear them?" Ebi whispered, leaning close to Mori. He gulped before nodding.

"They are just eating," he explained.

Ebi glanced over to see Reiko holding a small blush as she watched Hunny devour the small cake he had gotten himself. Mori seemed to be just as interested as he observed. Hunny caught Reiko's stare and offered a smile, then his fork, a piece of cake on the end. She hesitated, but leaned down, allowing him to feed her.

"Rei-chan," Hunny tilted his head as he took back the fork, her eyes looking at him as she chewed. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Mori and Ebi exchanged shocked looks before Mori stood up, pulling Ebi after him.

"Wait!" she yelled, looking at him as he discarded his moustache as they got outside once more. "Why can't we stick around?"

"Mitsukuni has done everything himself," Mori paused to frown slightly. "He never needed any of our help," Ebi offered a smile.

"Cheer up, Mo-chan," she laughed as he looked at her, blushing at the strange nickname. "At least now you don't have to take care of him as much…" she paused and looked up at him. "Now you can focus on your own happiness,"

Mori smiled at the insight Ebi offered. She was right, but what she was alluding to also scared him. He started moving towards the direction of the cabin when Ebi brought him back.

"We can't go back yet, Kaoru is snooping around and he is going to call if he finds anything interesting that requires me hunting down Kyoya," she sighed as Mori held a strange look at her. "Plus, now we can get some alone time," she pulled a face and Mori let his expression lighten as he melted. She hooked her arm in his again and the two were off.

* * *

><p>Kaoru felt like he had failed in his mission. Kyoya had locked his room tight and no amount of trickery or lock picking seemed to open the door. He had spent the entire morning after the group left searching the cabin for anything, knowing the off-character smile Kyoya held as he left meant there was something going on that the rest of the group didn't know. He was alone for the time being and knew that he would be for a while. Just as he was about to give up, he walked past Kyoya's room and found Renge leaving it, an anxious smile on her face.<p>

"Oh, sorry Kao-chan, I left my skates here and didn't want a rental pair," she explained, before moving to the door. "See you for diner!"

She left with that goodbye and Kaoru smiled before widening his eyes, realizing she had left without locking the door. It was his chance. He walked into the room and started rummaging, knowing that the answer would most likely land in the planner Kyoya held closer to him, even closer than Renge. With good luck, he found it and flicked it open, and moved to the November date, winding his eyes as he saw what was scribbled.

_Ask Renge._

"If you know what's best for you, you will put that back and act as if you never saw that,"

Kaoru froze, his soul seeping from him as a hand yanked the planner from him, final looking up to see Kyoya holding it, a crazed look on his face. Kaoru instantly stood up and ran, finding refuge in his own cabin room, hoping he would be left in peace to repent. His hope was short lived.

"Did you confess or something?"

Again Kaoru froze and turned, seeing his brother sprawled out on the bed, a smug look on his face as Mei sat on the bed next to him, reading a magazine while she painted her nails. Kaoru raised an eyebrow, not surprised that the two would be left to hang out with each other. He thought fast, not wanting Hikaru to bring up emotions in front of the gossip queen. She didn't seem interested.

"We need to throw a party for Kyoya," he gulped as Hikaru propped himself up on his elbows. "I think after years of protest we should just do it anyways!"

Mission accomplished. Hikaru instantly seemed delighted, moving to the suddenly interested Mei who looked at Kaoru, the two talking about different plans on how to surprise the demon king. Sighing, Kaoru knew he had accomplished his goal in a way.

* * *

><p>Mori had been watching Ebi attentively as they spent the day together, her words always fueling the conversation, always having more to say than him. But that was what he liked. His mind froze, not wanting to bring anything like that up. Even though she had explained what she thought made Kaoru jealous, Mori knew better. The younger man was experiencing either the same or similar feelings that he was. Ebi didn't seem to hold any towards him and from what Mori understood, they were working too hard to make everybody else happy. She had been silent for a few moments as they began the walk back to the cabin, Mori wondering what made the talkative girl pause in thought. Was she realizing what he knew? That Kaoru held feelings for her? That <em>he<em> held feelings for her? That she held feelings back? Mori gulped, earning Ebi to look up at him and link her arm back in his. He glanced down at her.

"Do you like Kaoru?" he mumbled. Ebi blinked, her eyes widening before she laughed.

"He's like my mischievous little brother, so I like him just as that," she smiled again, her eyes lighting up, Mori catching something else but decided to ignore it. "A brother…" she finished. "Why, Mo-chan?" she chuckled, bumping him slightly as they continued to walk. "Did you want to ask me out or something?" she teased, catching her breath as he stopped them, pulling her back. She nervously lifted her head.

"How do you…" Mori trailed, questioning how he could be a member of a host club when he didn't even know how to ask a girl on a date. Ebi sighed, and stepped to him, her smile soft and comforting.

"I don't know how I feel about Kaoru and I'm not sure how I feel about you either, Mori," she paused, looking up at him. "But I'd love to go on a date with you, if that's what you're asking…"

Her blush is what got him. Mori felt his mouth twitch before he smiled, a few teeth poking out; something he wasn't even sure Hunny had ever seen. The tint on Ebi's cheeks was something that fueled the silent man to want to jump onto the rooftops and sing opera. Still, he contained himself and forced it all into a smile, Ebi knowing that she had made the right move. They continued to walk back to the house, her arm still in his.

* * *

><p>Dinner at the cabin was strange for Kaoru to observe. Tamaki and Haruhi were of course sitting closer together at the table as they enjoyed a 'commoner' stew pot and when he looked over at Renge and Kyoya, his brain wanted to barf at how 'PDA' they were. Reiko and Hunny's newfound relationship was also barf educing but the fact the couples had paired off made Kaoru feel strange. Even though they were only friends, even Mei and Hikaru were chatting more than Hikaru was to Kaoru. That's when he looked to his right to find Ebi turned in conversation with Mori, the smile on her face brighter than it usually was.<p>

"_Who knows, maybe I'll fall in love while I'm here_…"

Kaoru decided to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach and ate on, occasionally joining the conversation when he was prompted to. It was when it was night time that he finally found Ebi alone, just as she was about to go into her room. She noticed him and beckoned him over, his nervous steps into the room calmed by her usual playful grin.

"What did you find out?" she asked, hugging a pillow to her chest as she sat on the edge of her bed. Kaoru moved, hesitantly, before sitting down next to her, leaving a bit of space. He shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but we are now having a party for Kyoya next week, lucky his birthday lands on a Friday this year, we can kidnap him after school and surprise him at the manor," he watched as Ebi's eyes lit up and felt as if he was the only one who could do so. He shook the mushy thought away as Ebi sighed, a sleepy smile on her lips.

"I had a good day as well, Kao-chan," she let her eyes close half-way. "Mori asked me on a date and I plan on going with him," Kaoru let his expression drop as she closed her eyes, a peaceful look on her face. "This could be the start of something, maybe," she whispered, then yawning. Kaoru felt that twinge in his ribcage go again and thanked every god in the book as a cough was heard in the doorway.

"I don't mean to intrude, but Kaoru, are you coming to bed? It's cold and I need strong arms to hold me," Hikaru wrapped his own arms around himself, making a mock pouty face as Ebi laughed. Kaoru smiled and nodded, glancing at Ebi one last time in a goodnight before following his brother. His expression stayed cheerful before they finally got to their room and he turned around, poking his finger at his face. "Are you an _idiot_?" he spoke in a harsh tone. Kaoru raised his eyebrows.

"What?" he asked. Hikaru rolled his eyes.

"You blew your chance, Kaoru!" he raised his arms. "You always pushed me to go after Haruhi and even though my heart got broken, at least I went for it," he paused to smack Kaoru's chest a little. "Don't just sit there and let her go, you've got to fight just like I fought with Tamaki!" Kaoru frowned.

"Don't you think it'd be a little easier for me if I just stayed back? There's the probability she'd reject me and then I'll suffer more than I do now," he argued, moving to sit on the bed. Hikaru let his angry scrawl drop and turned to look at Kaoru.

"So does that mean you are admitting it, Kaoru? Do you love Ebi-chan?" he asked softly. Kaoru sighed and gripped the sheets tight in his fist.

"God _damnit_, Hikaru!" he shouted before turning away. "Just let me handle it the way I want to and stay _out_ of it!"

Hikaru let his heart drop as he watched his brother fall into the suffering pit he had once known. In that moment he knew he would have to get all the help he could to fix things and make them the way they were supposed to be.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry for the serious note but… it's for the sake of _plot development_! Anyways, remember that Ebi herself is a teenager, still, so emotions are kind of hectic at that time in life. A light chapter follows next! (Probably within 17 hours). Also, while I don't express it, your comments really do influence the way this story goes. So… help me figure out the brain of Ebi: who will she fall in love with?


	12. Gratuity

A/N: Where did all my regular readers go? Did they fall into the black abyss that is my heart? Thank you to those who are sticking with me. I know, my brain is weird. Or… is it? Yay Kyoya.

* * *

><p>November 22nd had finally arrived and while Kyoya couldn't be overly bothered by his own birthday, the other members of the host club and their affiliates were well aware the shadow king had something up his sleeve. While it was hard for the boys to see it, Haruhi knew there was a new sparkle in those eyes behind his glasses. Regardless, he seemed to also be aware that his friends were up to something and throughout the day made sure he had somebody at his side to prevent any foolhardy. It was now after regular day classes, and much to Kyoya's delight, the only person he now found walking next to him was Renge, a small smile on her lips as they stepped in unison, silently down the long hallway towards the music room. He felt silly to be distracted by her, still, at this point in their relationship but blamed it on what Tamaki always ranted and raved about; true love. He smirked, looking back down at his briefcase in thought; who would've known the demon lord #1 would ever have his heart melted by a woman. Renge giggled as Kyoya tripped a little after neglecting to pay attention to the small staircase they were heading up. He glanced at her and let his expression soften at her gaze.<p>

"Now _I_ know that Mr. Ootori is _not_ a klutz, so _that_ must mean he has something on his mind!" she spoke, stepping down the few steps so that she was standing on the one just above the one Kyoya found himself on and grinned, always pleased when Renge played these games. "Are you harboring a secret, my love?" she raised an eyebrow as she turned her face slightly, her eye millimeters from Kyoya's glasses. He shrugged.

"I guess you'll just have to wait to find out, Ms. Houshakuji," he breathed, letting his lips linger against hers before moving to walk up the steps in front of her. He paused as she laughed softly, traces of evil weaving through it. "I suppose the _real_ question is what secret _you_ have," he spoke, still standing away from her. He felt her presence behind him for a moment before her hands rested on his shoulders, something else clutched in one of her hands.

"Do you trust me, Kyoya Ootori?" she asked and Kyoya smiled as she moved the cloth around his eyes, blinding him. "Because even if you don't, you'll have to now," she joked, Kyoya hearing a small hitch of worry. "Here,"

Renge then placed bud in his ears and all he could hear was loud music obviously meant to drown out the noise around him. Renge left his side and instantly, he was picked up by new arms and simply shook his head, deciding it was better to go with it rather than fight. After all, whatever the group was up to could never top his plans for today.

* * *

><p>Haruhi was a little surprised as she talked to Ebi while they sat at the table that had been set elegantly in the Hitachiin mansion dining room, waiting for their guest of honor to arrive. She had just dropped the bombshell that Mori, the unbreakable silent man, had asked her on a date. While Ebi seemed to handle the occurrence as another life event, Haruhi silently freaked out in her head, wondering how the others felt, or even if they knew. If something transpired from their date, would they keep their love a secret, or announce it to the world? Haruhi let herself calm down when she remembered it was Tamaki that did the freaking out, not her. She always had a reasonable approach to these sorts of things and finally looked at Ebi as she drew circles with her finger on the rich fabric of the tablecloth.<p>

"Do you like Mori-sempai?" she asked, lowering her voice so the twins, who were just at the end of the table observing the fireplace, wouldn't hear. Ebi shrugged, surprising Haruhi even more.

"I don't know yet, but I do know he has the rare ability to make me blush," she admitted, making Haruhi even more interested in 'girl talk', a subject she rarely found fun.

Ebi was about to continue when there was a cough at the entrance way of the dining room and the two girls turned to find the subject in conversation, Mori, standing with an anxious look at them. Haruhi nodded, understanding and Ebi stood up, taking a hesitant step before she followed him into the hallway and down a bit so they were out of ear shot. She flattened the skirt of her dress, finally looking up at Mori when he stopped. She grinned, finding herself still inches shorter than him, even in heels. He pursed his lips together lightly before offering a smile, his hands pressed hard against his sides. Ebi lifted her lips into a smile before reaching forward and grabbing one of his hands, her eyes catching his.

"You shouldn't turn into the nervous type, Mo-chan," she stuck out her tongue. "I don't date men who stand there looking scared," she teased, finally letting go of his hand.

Mori knew she was joking but still widened his eyes before letting go of a large sigh, relaxing slightly as he stuck his hands leisurely in his pockets. She raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips, her grin still intimidating him.

"Would you like to go to the city tomorrow?" he asked before gulping, relaxing as her features fell into a more natural calm, her eyes holding what Mori hoped was adoration. "For our date," he finally said, finding a smile that reached her eyes.

"I'd love to..." The two held a longing gaze for a moment longer before a scoff was heard.

"If you are trying to make me lose my diner before we've eaten, you are succeeding!" Hikaru laughed as the two looked over with wide eyes, both holding a red tint on their faces. "Seriously, make-out in your own hallway, Mori-sempai,"

Hikaru disappeared and Ebi laughed, rolling her eyes as Mori's face froze in horror, finally moving them back into the dining room where they found the group sitting down, a few eyes lingering on the two walking in, it being ignored as more footsteps were heard down the hall. Hikaru grinned from the seat next to the head of the table. He hushed the group and everybody instantly became silent, except Hunny who continued to wiggle excitedly in his chair next to Mori. Still, the group watched as a blindfolded and momentarily deaf Kyoya was lead into the room by Renge, their attire changed for a semi-formal birthday dinner in a dining room fit for royalty. Renge smiled at the group before yanking out the ear buds, Kyoya holding an annoyed, yet silent, expression on his lips before she untied the blindfold and the entire group leaned forward, bombarding him as he adjusted his eyes to the light.

"Surprise!" all ten screamed, Kyoya leaning back a bit in mild surprise, and still not sure he should even be surprised by this kind of occurrence on his birthday.

Still, he smiled and watched as Renge took the seat next to him, a grin on her lips as she looked at him. A feast had been organized and while all the girls except Reiko were scarfing themselves as if they'd never eat again, Kyoya listened as his friends told stories of their favorite times with him, something that, rather than embarrassed him, boosted his ego. Still, the remarks he made were small and after a filling meal, Ebi disappeared for a moment and while Kyoya was once again distracted by a look Renge was holding, the lights in the room dimmed and he snapped back to the doorway, watching as Ebi walked back in, this time holding a cake topped with many candles. She placed it down in front of him, and as Hunny drooled, the group sang him 'Happy Birthday', much to the twins delight. When they were done, Kyoya only thought for a moment before blowing out the candles, the group cheering as the lights came back on. In a selfless act, Kyoya gave the first piece to Hunny and watched as Hikaru looked at him.

"So, Kyoya-sempai, whatcha wish for?" he asked, making Mei who sat next to him look over as well.

Kyoya observed the way the group slowly stopped in their motions of passing cake down the table to see his response. He sighed, and pushed up his glasses before moving his hands under the table. Eyebrows raised and finally, Kyoya glanced at his friends.

"Today is more than just my birthday," he announced. The group seemed to magically move closer to him, everybody holding an inquisitive look. Kyoya rolled his eyes but shook away his annoyance, knowing what he was doing was more than an upstage. "Renge,"

Renge perked up, her eyes widening more than everybody else's and her expression holding one of more worry than questioning. He smiled softly as her lips quivered in anticipation.

"Today is the day I ask you to become not just my girlfriend," the group leaned even more over the table at his small pause. "But my _fiancé_,"

Audible gasps came from the group, but after the initial shock, they turned to Renge who held the same scared look she had been holding since he started talking. She raised her eyes to his and gulped.

"Kyo-"

Renge chocked on her words and Kyoya reached over, wrapping his right hand around her left as he produced a tiny velvet box. More audible gasps, this time including Renge.

"Upon graduation, I have every intention of making you my bride," he spoke softly, softening his expressions greatly. "My wife," he finally said, making Renge pull a stupefied expression. The group held their breaths, but not for long as he opened the box and they were blinded by the insanity that was a shiny gold band with huge diamonds. Finally, Renge gulped and blinked, revealing a more refined anxiety.

"I have every intention of being your wife, Kyoya," she whispered before the group all squealed, the twins holding hands as they pressed together, Hunny and Tamaki tearing up in joy as the girls swooned. The ring was placed on her finger and after a lingering kiss between the two, Kyoya found his chair being picked up by Mori and the twins, his friends all cheering as he felt the largest relief leave him and the greatest happiness then fill him.

_True love_

* * *

><p>After being told by her father that the city was typically warmer than the housing communities they lived in, Ebi decided she'd be safe wearing thick leggings and a dress with her boots, safe with just a sweater. However, when Mori arrived at her front door wearing a trench coat over his attire, she freaked and ran to her room to change. After exchanging a polite bow to her father, he pushed him towards her door, Ebi audibly yelling as she tried to find warmer clothes.<p>

"I thought we were going to the city!" she questioned, Mori smiling behind her door.

"I thought of something else," Mori mumbled, widening his eyes as Ebi slid open her door, now wearing her own petticoat, her leggings replaced by jeans and a scarf wrapped tight around her neck. He couldn't help but smirk at her but held it as she playfully glared. "There's a fresh snowfall at the family temple,"

Ebi sighed but held her smile, moving back towards the front door and hugging her father goodbye before stepping out into the winter air, instantly clutching to Mori's arm as they walked the short distance to his town car. She observed the usual red tint on his cheeks and grinned; always pleased she could win him over with such a simple gesture. The moment they were in the car, Mori looked over at her, daring himself to start the conversation for once.

"Why do you link your arm in mine?" he asked quietly. Ebi lowered her gaze as she cursed the fact she was once again blushing.

"Instinct?" she pondered before raising her eyes to his glance. "You are a taller, stronger and attractive man and women are instinctively drawn to that?" she raised an eyebrow, pursing her lips as Mori held an embarrassing expression for a moment. "I want to," she finally admitted, smiling.

Mori sighed as Ebi continued to chat, leading the conversation once more towards a variety of subjects. They rode in the car for a short time before they arrived at his family's grounds, Mori bowing in a thank you to the driver before he anxiously wrapped an arm around Ebi's shoulders, guiding her towards the small hill that was littered in a thin layer of the purest white snow Japan could offer. Ebi's eyes lit up and she giggled as she kicked some up, watching as Mori copied her enthusiastically. Finally they reached the top of the hill and with his arm still around her shoulders the two looked out over the view of the residential community, the city off in the distance. Ebi sighed, leaning her head against Mori's shoulder. He still felt the tiny quiver of nerves flow him but breathed it off, knowing he was finally getting used to being with her in this situation. It was quiet for a moment before Ebi glanced up and her lips twitched in hesitation before she spoke.

"I know we are technically on a date, but how would you guys feel about celebrating an American traditional holiday of Thanksgiving with me?" she asked quickly, Mori having to pause in thought at what she had just said. He shrugged, Ebi raising a worried eyebrow.

"It sounds great," he paused, looking up briefly. "You should ask the others," he suggested. Ebi nodded, resting her head against his shoulder again.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Mori," she sighed, her voice dropping into what he liked to call her 'serious tone'.

At this moment she was being truthful in her words, not that she was always joking when she talked, but now, she was being as honest as a person could be, and Mori was thankful. He nodded, not hesitating in the slightest as he brought her closer a bit. Closing his eyes, Mori smiled as he thought about the thought about the hope that one day he would never have to hesitate around the girl that had broken through his bubble and made him smile.

* * *

><p>At the first mention of a dinner get-together, the group slobbered over Ebi, Tamaki and Hunny infatuated with the American tradition. Ebi had simply put that aside from it being a part of the history of how the country was founded, it entailed eating a bunch of food and telling stories. Needless to say, the twins found the idea a prime opportunity to have another party. However, after the guidance of Kyoya and Renge, Ebi was influenced to have the Thanksgiving dinner at her place and then, after pleads from Tamaki, Ebi now found herself tasked with making an American Thanksgiving, rather than a Japanese one that she was thinking about. So, when the weekend came, she couldn't help but feel a little relieved when everything came out perfectly fine. She was due to feed twelve people including herself, and the extra-large turkey that sat on the giant platter looked like it could eat twelve people.<p>

Laughing, she finally decided to pick it up, and the moment she was seen bringing it to the low dining table, Mori and Hunny reached up and helped her place it down in the middle of the set-up, all the side-dishes surrounding the cooked bird. After her father cut the turkey, the conversations started to flow and after Ebi explained it was traditionally ok for minors to drink wine on holidays, everybody was served a half glass, the group taking it in stride while Mei and Haruhi looked like they would faint just by looking at alcohol. Still, the fun continued and Ebi grinned, happy her friends were joining her in what was the holiday of her native country. When the conversation finally died down, she hit her fork against her wine glass against her glass and cleared her throat.

"Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for what you have in your life…" she trailed as Hunny's eyes lit up, obviously thinking about cake. "Outside of material things," she looked at her father. "Would you like to start, dad?"

Satoshi crossed his arms, his hands hiding themselves in the sleeves of the traditional kimono he never seemed to discard.

"I am thankful for the mother of my one and only child and even though we are no longer together; we are forever bonded by the love that is our daughter,"

The group didn't know what to say as he smiled, looking back at his daughter. Ebi smacked her hand to her face before the two laughed, and finally the group joined in.

"It doesn't have to be that mushy," she corrected before taking a breath. "I'm thankful for my life here in Japan and my quick acceptance to this crazy group," the group smiled before she shrugged. "and also doughnuts,"

With a laugh the group continued and while mostly everybody started with something heartfelt, it was always counted on that Hunny would only claim his thanks for cake and all that is sweet. Still, he explained he was thankful for the friends that gave him sweets and the group took it. After the round was finished, the group found themselves quite lazy and Satoshi explained it was typical that turkey made the eater sleepy and slowly but surely, nap places were taken up, Hunny being the first victim in Mori's lap on the couch. Unaffected, Ebi had begun washing dishes in the sink when the door opened and closed, her eyebrows lifting in surprise as she saw Kaoru, holding a happier expression than he had been in recent weeks. She watched as he took a dish from her pile and started drying it, their eyes exchanging a glance of understanding.

"You know what I'm grateful for?" Kaoru asked, watching as Ebi looked back up at him as she washed another dish. She hummed and Kaoru found his courage. "You, Ebi," he expected her to pause, but didn't expect her to blush, and when he looked at her, the red tint grew.

"Kao-chan," she mumbled, looking away and scrubbing a little more feverishly.

"Think about it; without you we would have never met and never would have plotted to get Tamaki and Haruhi together," he explained, stopping what he was doing and watched as Ebi slowed, glancing at him nervously.

"They could have gotten the hint on their own," she took a long break before smirking, shaking her head. "Probably not," she whispered before they shared a laugh. She looked at him again, placing a plate back into the soapy water in her sink. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked, trying to sound as serious as possible. Kaoru nodded, understanding she wanted a straight answer.

"I'm over that jealousy issue," he clarified, offering a smile. "I think that even though you are casually dating, we can still be matchmakers," he laughed as Ebi's grin started to grow, her eyes lighting up.

"Matchmakers?" she let the phrase roll on her tongue before she smacked Kaoru's chest lightly. "I like the sound of that, Kao-chan!" the two laughed again.

"What do you say?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Ebi just flashed her devilish grin.

"We're back in business, baby,"

* * *

><p>AN: I'd like to say no animals were hurt in the writing of this chapter, but then I'd be a liar. While typing this, a spider invaded the sanctity of my bedroom and met a warrior's death of white tissue crushing it and was then buried at sea… I mean my toilet. Anyways, since when did Kyoya become so sly? This is the part where you review the ramblings of my brain.


	13. The Hook

A/N: Another hectic weekend has leaded me here, to another chapter. Having the story line planned out till the end helps, but juggling year-round college and a 30 hour job week and a love life is difficult. Enough complaining; I bought a bento box because I'm cool. Also, thank you for those who continue to read, I owe you a million paper cranes because that's all I can make…. O_O

* * *

><p>It was now even further into winter, and while it did not snow in the more congested parts of the city, there were rare times were the morning sun did not melt the layer that would appear on the patches of grass near the sidewalks leading to Ouran academy. While Ebi was still bundled up, claiming she'd never get used to the chill in the air, the others didn't bother to bundle up too much, knowing a steamy vacation south of the equator could be arranged in a snap. Still, Ebi couldn't be comforted; her body was used to winters where she could still wear regular t-shirts and a climate where snow hadn't existed for centuries. So on that Monday afternoon, Ebi came into the music room still shivering, the scarf around her neck covering up her nose and mouth.<p>

"People will think you're trying to rob a bank with that getup, Ebi-chan," Hikaru teased, as she pulled the fabric from her face, pushing her ponytail back over her shoulder.

"Who's to say I haven't already robbed the bank?" she joked back, throwing her trench coat over his head and laughing. Hikaru pulled it off and pretended to brood as Kaoru stepped over. Ebi wrapped her arm around his shoulder and the two stuck their tongues out at the boy. "Kao-chan was my accomplice!"

"We're a regular Bonnie and Clyde!" Kaoru added, the two snickering as they leaned back. Hikaru raised an eyebrow and placed Ebi's trench coat on the seat next to him.

"Well then the two of you must be madly in love with each other, right?" Hikaru watched as Kaoru's expression faltered for a moment, his snickering changing into a slight cough as he cleared his throat. Ebi laughed even harder, even though a slight pink hit her cheeks. She leaned over and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking it in amusement.

"Hika-chan, you are the only person who can outwit us,"

Her laughter softly faded before the usual box of sweets she brought began to walk away in the arms of Hunny. As she followed, Hikaru approached his brother who was still trying to laugh off the awkward comment. He smiled, ruffling his younger brother's hair.

"Don't panic, Kaoru," Kaoru glanced at him, his smile completely faded now. "I was only joking,"

Still, Kaoru glared at his brother, but before he could speak, Ebi was back, holding the same mischievous smile as before. Kaoru brought back his calm grin, Hikaru rolling his eyes, wondering if his brother knew what he was doing to himself. He watched as Kaoru glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, the tips of his ears brightening in color. Hikaru couldn't help but feel sorry for him at that moment and sighed, knowing he had to apologize later on when they got back home. Ebi looked to Kaoru again and beamed.

"Mikie-san has agreed to meet us and Kioshi-san today in the main music room!" she spoke excitedly. Hikaru looked at them as they began to talk franticly.

"What are you up to?" he asked, the two whipping their head to them, fingers over their lips. It seemed that Kaoru was over his fumble. Hikaru smiled, knowing his brother still loved playing games more than anything else.

"We are trying to hook up another lovely couple here at Ouran, Hika-chan," Kaoru explained, glancing to Ebi who winked, her game-playing senses obviously tingling.

"Mikie-san came to us and asked us to help her woo over Kioshi and we have just the plan!" she pulled a folded piece of paper from what seemed the air itself. On it was a diagram, written in English, but with many hearts and music signs. "Mikie-san's family is throwing a ball celebrating the merge of their company with Kioshi-san's family business," Kaoru pointed to the stick figure drawling of two people dancing.

"So we thought we'd have Mikie-san teach sempai how to dance, since we've discovered the man is a total klutz on the dance floor!" Kaoru laughed, looking at Ebi who quickly joined him. Hikaru smiled, genuinely impressed.

"Would you like some help?"

_I won't dance, don't ask me, I won't dance, don't ask me…_

Ebi smiled as the host club dressed up in a manner to make the music room look like a small dance studio, which would add to the appeal that Mikie teaching Kioshi how to dance wasn't purely to get him alone… yet. Of course, Ebi supplied music, stating that using her iPod filled with Frank Sinatra classics was easier than trying to track down the orchestra for such a small event. So, as the usual couples started to dance, Ebi waited with a silent Mikie near the door, the younger girl holding the front of her uniform tightly.

"What if he doesn't show up?" she whispered. Ebi glanced at her as she lowered her head.

"Then he doesn't deserve you," she answered quickly.

Mikie tried to flash a smile but frowned even more, but lifted her head as the door creaked open, the only people pausing to stare at the guest being Kaoru and Ebi, along with Mikie. It was Satoshi and the boy who always seemed to trip in the hallways over his shoelaces seemed nervous as ever. Mikie moved towards him and instantly, her anxious behavior disappeared, making the intervention of Karou and Ebi not needed. Kaoru had been leaning his arm over her shoulder as the two watched, his brain not in what Hikaru called 'mush mode'. Ebi lifted her head to look at him.

"Looks like all they needed was the environment,"

Ebi pushed him off of her, laughing as he frowned slightly before moving to grab his hands again, leading the two into the silly way they always danced to music, and Kaoru let his heart flutter, confused by how calm his feelings were at the moment, when they were usually frantic and frightening. So as the two matchmakers danced, once again together after what only seemed like a hiccup, they were silently being observed by their friends; many of them knowing that behind their jokes and beyond their laughter was a bond that neither Kaoru or Ebi understood. Hidden in their smiles was the purest formation of true love.

_I know that music leads the way to romance, so if I hold you in my arms…_

* * *

><p>The new found matchmaking service had been a great distraction for Ebi and even though it had been bringing her to the host club on an almost daily basis, she knew that exams were approaching, with a following break. In that break however, was Christmas; a holiday Ebi was glad to hear the group would celebrate with her. In the wake of break, her father had come back from a business trip with interesting news, and yet again, another opportunity opened up for her. So, on the unusually warm winter morning, the day before break began, Ebi waited outside the kendo club, strangely embarrassed that she couldn't find the courage to go inside. The old feeling of butterflies entered her stomach and she smirked, more at herself before balling up her hands, regretting not bringing gloves and a scarf when the breeze struck her. She closed her eyes tight.<p>

"Baka," she mumbled before sensing somebody standing in front of her.

Slowly peeking open her eyes, she yelped, finding Mori still in his practice clothes, seemingly unaffected by the weather as he stared at her. Still, she yanked back and yelped again as she hit her head against the wall, instantly pushing her hand to the back of her head and rubbing it.

"Who's stupid?" Mori finally asked, smiling as Ebi continued to look away, her hand still holding her head. He lifted his own arm and stepped closer a bit before holding his own hand over hers, cradling her head. Her eyes widened a bit before she glanced up, her head still facing his chest.

"I am," she laughed slightly as they continued to stand there, Ebi feeling more awkward than she usually did. "I forgot my gloves and should have come inside instead of stand-"

Mori tilted her head up then, causing Ebi to pause. Her eyes widened again and slowly, she dropped her hand from her head, letting a slow breath out when Mori's stayed. He offered a small smile and that was enough for Ebi; she calmed down and let her eyes relax, her lids drooping as he leaned his head down, her eyes fully closing as he left a lingering kiss on her lips. Even after he parted a moment later, she found herself dumbfounded by who was called the 'silent man'.

"You're cute," he whispered, moving his hand from her head to her cheek for a brief moment before letting it drop to his side again. Ebi watched as Mori's lips twitched as she knew he was probably just as confused by his actions. Instead of freaking, however, the two laughed, knowing the timing was right.

"You are too, Mo-chan," Ebi teased softly before allowing herself to turn, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. Mori followed after her, sighing in gratitude that they we're going to talk about the kiss he had just given her. Instead, Ebi reached up and tucked her arm in his as they walked along the courtyard sidewalk. "I have interesting news," she suddenly spoke, making Mori look down at her.

"Hmm?" he answered, Ebi smirking at his old comments.

"My cousin is finally transferring into town," Mori raised an eyebrow as Ebi continued. "She'll be going to the same school as Mei as a first year next semester and according to what my father told me today, she's due to be here by Christmas," Mori looked down at the girl he had grown to adore.

"What does her presence mean?" he asked. Ebi let her devilish smile flash for a moment.

"I have been playing matchmaker since I've been here and everybody is falling into these niches of love," she paused, collecting her thoughts as they paused again near the gazebo. "Kao-chan is the only person among us who hasn't shown any interest in a girl, so I thought since he and my cousin are the same age; they might be able to find something in each other…"

As Ebi trailed off, Mori found himself frowning slightly. He knew very well that Kaoru had been acting strange lately, and his behavior was only like this when it was around Ebi. Again, it seemed that her father seemed more drawn to Kaoru and even mentioned that he was working to get them together, even though Mori and her had been, in a way, dating for the last few weeks. While it was unofficial for them, Mori knew the way he felt; he always did. He sighed, feeling sorry suddenly for the younger man who had also fallen for the foreigner, but seemed to either not realize it or was suppressing it. Why? Because Ebi had unknowingly broke his feelings by 'choosing' Mori over him.

Mori blinked hard, knowing he was jumping to conclusions. While Ebi and him continued again to walk, he thought that maybe, before this continued he should discover what was really going on.

* * *

><p>The snow had delivered the week of Christmas, and after it was announced that Kyoya's estate would be having a yuletide ball, the group couldn't be more excited, even if it meant they had to be on their best behavior. It was as formal as formal could get, and while many of the club members were used to it, it was obvious the three commoner girls; Haruhi, Mei and Ebi were sacred out of their wits behind their forced, calm smiles. Mei decided it would be save to cling to Hikaru's arm, Hikaru not bothering to shake her off, knowing starting a scene would bring the wrath of not only the shadow king, Kyoya, but his new queen, Renge. Ebi had the same idea to cling herself to Mori's arm, but after her and Haruhi realized there was food, the two girls shuffled with lust in their eyes across the room, leaving many of the members left to converse with other guests. Quickly, Mori acted and tapped Kaoru on the shoulder, finding the twin separated, for once, from his brother.<p>

"What's up, sempai?" Kaoru asked, stirring the cup of punch he had with a straw. Mori took in a deep breath before staring at him dead on.

"What are your feelings for Ebi-chan?" he asked coolly, noting the obvious dilation of his pupils, yet his body didn't respond. Kaoru frowned slightly before looking away.

"Are you worried that I'm competition?" he whispered, solemnly rather than spitefully, like Mori expected. He raised an eyebrow as Kaoru looked back up to him. "If she has decided to pursue you, Mori-sempai I will get over whatever I am feeling," he smiled, and while it did not reach his eyes, Mori nodded, feeling even sorrier for the boy. Slowly, Kaoru moved away, opting to chat with Tamaki. Sighing, Mori lowered his head, only to find a saddened Hunny looking up at him.

"Takashi, what will we do?" he asked, obviously in the know about Kaoru's feelings, and yet sympathetic to his cousin. Mori pursed his lips before looking over at where Ebi stood laughing with Haruhi, sighing once more.

"I don't know, Mitsukuni," he swallowed the guilt he began to feel. "I just don't know…"

Ebi had caught Mori glancing over at her, and after shifting her eyes back to Haruhi, she blushed, finding her friend staring at her with anticipation.

"You guys have gotten closer," she mused, bumping her slightly with an elbow. Ebi laughed softly and shook her head, Haruhi only teasing her by rolling her eyes. Ebi shrugged.

"We've been on a couple dates I suppose, but there is no hand-holding, no kissing, no-"

"You haven't kissed?" Haruhi interjected. Ebi skewed her mouth to the side and that's all Haruhi needed, her eyes widening and suddenly she felt more girly than she usually did. Blaming it on Tamaki, she stared at Ebi with curious looks. "When did you kiss?" she asked. Ebi bashfully smiled before placing a hand on her head, instantly making herself remember.

"Well, I had hit my head and he cradled my face and it sort of just happened," she mumbled. Haruhi stared at the older girl.

"For somebody who has graduated high-school and is a so-called matchmaker, you sure know how to describe the first kiss with a new boyfriend," the old 'cut-throat' Haruhi was back, and Ebi jumped at her words.

"Who said he's my boyfriend?" she yelped, making a few guests stare at them. Haruhi chuckled before waving her hand as a body approached.

"I'm only teasing," she assured. Suddenly then, they were faced by an overly happy Renge, her pink bow smacking the girls as she brought them into a large hug.

"Guess _what_?" she announced, her smile almost sickening. Ebi and Haruhi exchanged a look.

"What?" they asked back simultaneously. Renge rolled her eyes at their lack of enthusiasm, but continued, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"Well, I'm aware we are celebrating Christmas at Ebi-san's apartment, but Kyoya and I have-"

"Come up with a fun idea…" the girls spoke together again, not surprised by what Renge was talking to them about. Her face dropped but she scoffed, waving her hand at them.

"Yes, but it might interest you, considering your cousin is visiting, yes?" she glanced at Ebi, who nodded. "New Year's eve we are going to play a survival game at the Hitachiin manor and the losers have to humbly serve the winners during the New Year's festival in town," she explained.

Ebi glanced at Renge, jealous of how her plans always involved the best games to play. A sense of danger mixed in never hurt anybody, right? With Ebi's cousin due to arrive in time for the Christmas party and plans being cooked up by everybody left and right, the group planned to enter the new year in with a bang.

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><p>AN: I had to set up a lot in this chapter, so I apologize for the lack of crazy events. Except a kiss! A KISS. Next; Ebi's unnamed cousin (at the moment), a survival game and realizations of a new year. Hamburger says; "review me and make me grade A meat!", which has nothing to do with you reviewing this work of fanfiction ;D


	14. Realizing Resolution

A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates, but at least I'll be honest; I found a wormhole in my bed and decided to explore it, which led me to the black hole of pillows that I thought I would never escape. In layman's terms; I got lazy and sick and my brain farted for almost a month. But anyways; here's a shiny new chapter!

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><p>Ebi finally had a chance to catch her breath; after her cousin, Kuniko, learned of the survival game, the younger Kochi decided it was better off for her to introduce herself at the New Year's Day festival; a wise decision in Ebi's eyes. Her cousin was as outgoing as she was, but she understood that meeting the ten friends she had gained since she had been in Japan could be nerve-wracking; especially after Ebi had explained what her friends were like. This brought Ebi back to the moment she found herself experiencing. It was New Year's Eve, and Renge's survival "game" was turning out to be more work than play. For starters, it was dark as the night could get in the Hitachiin mansion hallways; something Ebi was uneasy about. To add to the problem, the only light was the moonlight and the occasional lightning that struck down accompanied by the crashing thunder, something that must have been pushing Haruhi into a closet rather than into playing the game.<p>

The easiest way to explain the survival game, in Renge's words was that it was every man or woman for themselves and teams were optional, but suggested against, as there would only be one winner. Everybody had arrived in the strict dress code of all white and the reasoning was explained away by Kyoya as he opened a few large briefcases full of guns. Paint guns. The first hit Ebi took proved the shots didn't hurt like paintball-pellets or an airsoft gun, but rather, a water balloon filled with paint. The objective, as Renge explained after Kyoya, was to roam the main mansion from 8 (which was an hour ago) till 10, or whenever the lights turned on, and then meet in the main hall. The person with the least amount of paint on them would win a day of pampering at the New Year's Day festival.

So, as Ebi stood in a hallways alcove, she tried to catch her breath, knowing if she stayed in one spot for too long, she'd be caught. It wasn't like the group to take these games lightly and even though it was ridiculous of her, she didn't either. Before she decided to move around the corner she was looking past, a body bumped into her and as an arm slithered across her waist, she felt a paint gun hit her back.

"You should know better than to stand out in the open, Ebi-chan," Ebi smiled as she heard Hikaru's voice, and pretended to flinch before grabbing his arm that was in front of her and flinging him around her, snatching his gun in the process. Hikaru landed in front of her, and as he realized she was now holding both guns at him with a grin on her face, he held his hands up and meekly flashed an innocent expression.

"Don't try that on me, Hika-chan," she mused before looking around. "Are you alone?" she asked. Hikaru shrugged, but as Ebi continued to stare at him, he let his expression falter.

"Yeah," he let his arms fall and Ebi rolled her eyes before lowering her guns. "I lost track of Kaoru a while back," he started walking along side Ebi as she kept his gun away from grasp and sighed. "I wanted to see if he would follow you or Mori or something," Ebi glanced up at him, pausing in her footsteps.

"Why would he follow me?" she asked, titling her head. "Or Mori for that matter?"

Hikaru smiled before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"He's trying to figure out what the rest of us also want to know," Hikaru let his eyebrows rise as Ebi looked even more confused. "What exactly is happening between you and Mori-sempai," he finished.

Ebi let her lips twitch anxiously before glancing away from the mocking expression that Hikaru held. His words confused her, but also made her think the same thing; Mori and her had been spending more time together, alone, getting closer on a level that wasn't in the boundary of friendship but not in the territory of being a couple either. Hikaru continued to stare at her with his eyebrow raised, waiting for an answer. Instead, Ebi pried at him.

"Why does he care more than the others?" she asked in a low voice. Hikaru slid his arm so his hand hit the wall behind her, somewhat boxing her next to him.

"I can't believe you are so dense to notice, Ebi-chan," he mumbled before letting his eyes soften. "My poor brother is jealous of you and Mori-san," he let his grin grow as a light blush came to Ebi's cheek and watched as her eyes shifted slightly in thought.

"Why is he jealous?" she whispered, eyes wide.

Hikaru was about to blurt it out when his subconscious hit him. It wasn't his place to tell Ebi that his brother had fallen for her. That he was too scared, for reasons unknown, to tell her before she fell into a relationship with Mori. That it was suddenly up to Hikaru to get the two to realize the chemistry they held was not common at all. Hikaru couldn't do that to his brother; he had to do it himself. Ebi's frown had increased in the silence and as Hikaru realized his sly smile had faded, he attempted to bring it back, but failed and found himself awkwardly serious feeling.

"Ebi-chan," he paused as she glanced back up at him. "I need you to figure that out on your own,"

Ebi's heart raced as Hikaru slowly peeled away and in the moments she stood there, thoughts moving a mile a minute in her brain, he slipped away with his paint gun, the echo of his footsteps fading away with every passing minute. Slowly, she closed her eyes and even though it was in the middle of a game, she slid down the wall, her sense of security gone. She thought this had been resolved; that the relationship between her and Kaoru had been explained, but now, she was back to the drawing board, wondering yet again was going on between them.

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><p>As another crash of thunder hit, Haruhi flinched underneath the large blanket she had grabbed and sighed, staring up at the mattress of the bed she was now hiding under. The moment the storm had started, Haruhi found the closest bedroom and hid, terrified by the empty hallways and darkness and the echoing the thunder made against the flashes of lightning. Every once and a while she would hear footsteps crawling around outside the door, and every time she found the courage to yell for somebody to come comfort her, she either got embarrassed, or scared once more by a crash of thunder. Again, she heard a commotion out in the hall and smiled as the door opened, and she was about to leap out, the body slid under the bed and after a light yelp from the person, a hand landed over her mouth and she was crushed into their arms, their bodies becoming very still as there was running in the hall outside the room. As it passed, Haruhi tilted her head back and saw Kaoru, his facial expression softening as the coast became clear. Once he noticed the close proximity of the two, he let go of her and scooted away, rolling on his back to stare at the mattress. Haruhi flinched once more as the thunder banged and Kaoru tilted his head so he could see her.<p>

"Are you ok, Haru-chan?" he asked. Haruhi peeked open her eyes and nodded before huddling the blanket tighter around her head to muffle the sounds. Kaoru chuckled lightly. "Is it ok if I lay low here with you for a moment?" Haruhi nodded as Kaoru laughed again. "Renge-san is a mad woman out there; all I was trying to do was follow Hika and Ebi," Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

"Why were you doing that?" she asked. Kaoru let his expression freeze and eyes dilate.

"I just wanted to corner them, ya know?" his laugh seemed force and Haruhi raised an eyebrow as Kaoru's lip twitched, his eyes looking away from hers.

"Do you think Hika-chan is up to something?" she pushed again, making Kaoru shrug, although his eyes seemed to glaze over again in worry. "Unless she's now working with him, why would they team up?" she pondered, lifting her hand to push a finger to her lips. Kaoru gulped.

"He's trying to tell her something I don't want to him to tell her," he suddenly mumbled. Haruhi let her eyes pop open a little and drifted her gaze back to the boy next to her.

"Huh?" she whispered. Kaoru simply chewed on his lips for a moment.

"Haru-chan, you have to keep it quiet, unlike my brother probably did," he closed his eyes and sighed, making Haruhi even more anxious. "I think I am falling for Ebi," he let the sentence trail off of his tongue and slowly turned his head to find Haruhi with wide eyes, her expression worry mixed with compassion. "It's just…" as he trailed, another strike of thunder echoed through the mansion, and yet Haruhi just stared, unaffected.

"Mori-sempai?" she half-questioned, half-stated. The two shared a look of understanding and Kaoru licked his lips nervously.

"I'm trying to figure out what is going on between them before I confront her with my feelings," he gulped again. "I don't feel like being rejected and then having to awkwardly watch them build a future," Haruhi made Kaoru frown as she smiled a bit.

"Kao-chan, I think you should tell her before it gets too late," she urged. "Tell her at the festival tomorrow. The rest of us will be so busy getting to know her cousin that even if she rejects you, nobody but her, you and me have to know," she moved her hand to push a fallen strand of hair from his brow. "I have faith in you, Kaoru,"

Suddenly, Kaoru felt bravery surge through him. While he still had the rest of the night to deal with, he knew that tomorrow would be the beginning of either a new relationship with Ebi or the beginning of him getting over a new found heartbreak. Tomorrow was much more than just the New Year.

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><p>Ebi had snapped out of her daze long enough to realize the lights were now on, meaning the group was to convene in the main hall where they started. Looking down at her white dress as she walked down one of the main staircases, she sighed, knowing there was no way she could win with the amount of stains of paint she had on her. Finally, she stepped into the main hallway and found Hunny and Mori, chatting, both looking spotless in their white outfits. Reiko noticed her and the girls laughed at each other as they both realized they were covered in paint. Mori looked down at Ebi and softly smiled.<p>

"It looks like you might win, Mo-chan," she laughed, looking him over. Hunny beamed next to them, and pointed at his shirt.

"I'm all clean as well, Ebi-chan!" he announced, smile wide as ever.

Slowly, the rest of the group converged and Ebi giggled as Haruhi stumbled in, Tamaki instantly running to her, upset he couldn't find her during the thunderstorm. As she tried to comfort him, Renge emerged, a single spot of green on the front of her dress. She looked smug for the split second it took her to realize Kyoya also only had one spot and the two exchanged looks before noticing the spotless Hunny and Mori. Mei and Hikaru seemed disinterested enough, both looking as if they were holding ulterior motives, something Kaoru was sure of. He had been watching Ebi converse with Mori, trying to decipher ever smile, every laugh, and every word spoken. Finally, Renge seemed to notice everybody was back and cleared her throat, making the group all focus on her.

"I suppose we have _two_ winners tonight," she pointed over at Mori and Hunny and almost immediately, Hunny jumped in the air into Mori's arms, making Kyoya tilt his head in observation.

"Hold that thought, my dear," he moved over to Hunny and the shortest member raised an eyebrow as Kyoya proceeded to lift his pant leg, exposing his sock. Hunny's _paint stained_ sock. Suddenly, everybody gasped and Hunny frowned, his eyes tearing up as he looked up at Mori.

"I guess you get to be king, Takashi," he mumbled before sliding down and moving to hold Reiko's hand, his head nuzzling against her hip as she blushed. Renge and Kyoya nodded and the group cheered for a moment.

"Tomorrow at the festival, Mori-sempai gets every wish granted, no matter how obscure," Renge explained before Hikaru seemingly jumped in with an excited face.

"Come on guys, it's almost midnight and we can see the fireworks from our back yard!"

As the group, most of them in paint stained clothes ran for the back yard porch, laughs were shared and as the clock finally struck midnight, the echoing of the grandfather clock bounced across walls behind them as they turned their attention to the skies, sparks of every color lighting up the sky as the New Year began.

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><p>Kuniko Kochi was the splitting image of her cousin; dirty blonde, tall for her racial background and when she smiled at the large group of friends Ebi introduced her to, the group was confused for a moment on who was who. Cousins, four years apart in age, and yet looked and behaved like twins. It didn't help that they were wearing almost identical kimonos; Ebi's stitched with yellow butterflies, Kuniko with pink. Kaoru observed the way the two girls laughed as the group met that New Year's morning at the festival. Ebi was radiant as she talked about her cousin, Mei and Hikaru eager to steal her away as the group split up. Still, Kaoru noticed Ebi's nervousness towards Mori as he neared her, and as his hand rested on her shoulder, her face darkened, and making Kaoru frown a bit. Almost immediately, Haruhi appeared next to him, a small frown on her lips as they watched Ebi and Mori as the group disbanded. Hunny and Reiko had skipped away shortly followed by Renge and Kyoya, but Hikaru was running towards them instead. Kaoru braced himself as his brother leaped into him, his grin more stupid than ever.<p>

"Come on Kaoru!" he pulled away and began tugging on his arm. "Let's go see the fireworks with Mei and Kuni-chan!" Kaoru stood his ground and looked at Haruhi for support. She shrugged as Tamaki came to stand next to her, his hand tucked into hers.

"I'm actually going to walk around with Haru-chan and her lord," he joked, taking his hand away from Hikaru. His brother's face dropped for a moment before he smiled evilly, looking back at Mei retying Kuniko's ribbon in her hair.

"What, are you afraid of falling for Kuni-chan instead of Ebi-chan if you get to know her?" he teased. Kaoru let his face scrunch up, annoyed. Haruhi glared at Hikaru and cut off Kaoru before he could say anything.

"Why are you forgetting to add an honorific to Mei-chan?" she poked her finger at Hikaru's chest. "What's going on between _you_ two?"

Hikaru let his expression drop before he started laughing, his body slowly turning before he walked back over to Mei and Kuniko, leading them away with each on one of his arms. Kaoru looked back to Haruhi to find her smiling, Tamaki looking proudly at his girlfriend. Kaoru was about to thank her when he found himself turning to glance at Ebi once more where she stood a few yards away and found his smile dissolving. He had noticed their linked arms many times before today and took it as a sign of friendship, but today, Mori's hand moved from her shoulder to her arm and as they continued to walk, Kaoru with Tamaki and Haruhi following, his hand slipped into hers, fingers laced, as the kept walking. Kaoru stopped in his tracks, and as Tamaki bumped into him Haruhi noticed Karou's lip trembling, his eyes straining to watch Mori and Ebi stop near a food booth, their conversation unheard, but actions easy to see. She was about to yank Kaoru away so he didn't see, but as the two leaned to each other to share a kiss (which Haruhi knew as their second), he broke and turned around, his mouth askew as his eyes widened. Tamaki looked at his friend, confused and then observed as Haruhi urged Kaoru into a hug; one he refused.

"Something has changed between them, Haru-chan," he mumbled, eyes hidden by his bangs.

"Kaoru, you don't know that for sure…" she trailed off and peered under his bangs to find tears lining his eyes. "Oh, Kaoru," she whispered before looking at Tamaki who suddenly understood.

"Kaoru, why haven't you said anything before?" he asked as the two started to pry at him.

Kaoru felt anxious as the two looked at him with pity in their eyes, his breath growing rapid, and his heart on the verge of bursting out of his chest. He stumbled for a moment but shook his head and turned, walking in the opposite direction of where they were going. Haruhi stared up at Tamaki and the two held a knowing frown before steps neared them.

"What's going on, lovebirds?" Ebi asked, her face glowing as Mori trailed next to her, his hand still in hers. Haruhi chewed on her lip and gulped, nervous to say anything but widened her eyes as Tamaki cleared his throat.

"Mori-sempai," he raised an eyebrow. "Kao-san witnessed you kissing Ebi-chan," The two held confused expressions, and Haruhi sighed.

"Ebi," she looked to her friend. "Kaoru likes you, a lot," she revealed.

In that moment as Tamaki and Haruhi watched Mori and Ebi realize exactly what happened, they felt just a guilty as the rest of the group for not speaking up earlier. Mori and Ebi separated their hands and stared at each other, holding a strange expression of confusion, realization and guilt. Ebi gulped, knowing that this is what Hikaru had told her the night before. A love triangle was something Ebi did not want to deal with at the moment, but in her own mind, she knew it was something she could have prevented. Mori looked at her, saddened by her solemn expression and nodded as Tamaki and Haruhi slowly walked away, their faces just as stoic. The New Year was off to a great start.

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><p>AN: So, I'm going to update every chance I get now that I've broken free of this warm-hole! Anyways, there will be some happy fluff and more than PG-13 in the next chapter so I hope I don't offend your filters! See you next time!


	15. More

_A/N: I am a horrible person and have dishonored you all. In turn here is a long chapter filled with lots of goodies. You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll get turned on my minor sexual content! But don't look to me for help; cows don't know how to sow new pants :D_

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><p>The rest of the day spent at the festival wasn't fun for most of the group, but before anybody could learn about what was happening, Kaoru decided it would be better to change his attitude. He quickly found his brother waiting outside of a flower booth, his hand busy moving a fan in front of his face. He noticed him and smugly smiled.<p>

"So you decided to join us, _why_?" he asked. Kaoru shook his head, his face still flushed from his brief outburst with Haruhi and Tamaki.

"You know how lovey the lord gets when he's with Haru-chan," he laughed, making his brother raise an eyebrow. "I wanted to spend the New Year with my brother," he assured. Hikaru sighed, landing his arm around Kaoru's shoulder.

"Are you sure it was Tamaki's love that drove you over here?" he titled his head at his brother. Kaoru let his smile falter as his brother saw right though him.

"Mori-sempai and Ebi were kissing…" he trailed off and watched as his brother glanced to the person who was now standing next to them, a bright smile on her features.

"_Really_?" the voice beamed and Kaoru felt his heart get heavy as Kuniko spoke, her tone and expression almost mirror image to what Ebi's would have been. "I'm so happy for her!" she announced, before letting her own beam fade as Kaoru didn't share the happiness. She skewed her lips to the side as the awkwardness filled the area.

"Sorry Kuni-chan," Hikaru announced. "I don't think this calls for celebration just quite yet," Mei appeared next to Kuniko and sighed.

"Since when did this become a love triangle story?" she somewhat joked. Kuniko frowned.

"Does Ebi know?" she asked nobody in particular. Kaoru finally sighed rather loudly, catching the attention of the group.

"Ebi doesn't know, but she will. I will tell her tonight when we go to Mori-sempai's house," he gulped, averting his eyes as Hikaru leaned towards him anxiously.

"Should we be celebrating then?" he laughed, Mori joining in. Kaoru frowned but watched as Kuniko looked at them, solemnly.

"Who's to say he'll win Ebi's affections?" she sighed. "I don't want to be pessimistic or rude, but Mo-chan deserves a chance, just like Kaoru does,"

Kuniko looked back at Kaoru and suddenly he understood. Yes, he would admit his feelings to Ebi tonight, but would make it clear it was her choice to make. He didn't want to make her unhappy, nor did he want to confuse her any longer.

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><p>Mori had found Kaoru pacing outside of where Ebi had taken up rest after the long events of New Year 's Day. He didn't approach him at first, almost wanting to hear just what the man planned to do, and then say to her. Just as Mori was going to turn to retreat to his own room, the sliding door opened and Kaoru paused in his pacing to face Ebi who was leaning against the door, her face holding a concerned expression. Concerned for Kaoru, concerned for herself, Mori concluded from a distance. As Kaoru moved to stand in front of her, Mori found himself torn as to stay or leave; eavesdropping wasn't in his DNA. Then again, it was in the Host Club's unwritten rules. Finally, he sighed, leaning his head more so he could hear them in the distance. Ebi had wedged herself so that they wouldn't be in her room, something Mori found odd. Now anybody could listen to them if they wanted.<p>

"Ebi," Kaoru started, his hand awkwardly raised towards hers. She eyed it, her own nervous smile mirroring his.

"Hey Kaoru," she whispered. Mori raised his eyebrows at the lack of honorifics. Even he still attached one when talking to Ebi.

"Can we talk about something?" he then asked, his hand lowering to his neck where he rubbed it nervously. Ebi let out a light chuckle.

"You don't need my permission to talk to me, Kaoru…" she trailed off, her hands picking at the sleeves of her kimono. Kaoru hesitated before he reached out to one of her hands, deciding to hold it softly between them as he prepared to speak once more. They both looked down at their hands and Ebi's face flushed, obviously more embarrassed than usual.

"I know that our friends have been conspiring something for us," he mumbled, scrunching his face up at the strange tone he had formed. Ebi simply nodded. "They've been pushing us together because they are under the assumption we are _soul mates_ of something…" he let out a small smirk, one that Ebi softly mimicked. Suddenly then their eyes met and Mori felt very anxious. What would happen and why in the world was he there watching?

"I like you Ebi," Kaoru finally spoke, looking her directly in the eyes. "I do," he gulped loudly, Ebi's lips parting shakily.

"Kao-"

"But," Kaoru interjected and suddenly the aurora around them changed. Ebi's expression faltered sharply. "There is somebody who _loves_ you," Kaoru chewed on his bottom lip a bit while squeezing lightly on her hand.

"I don't understand…" she sounded confused as Ebi finally spoke, her face flushed and eyes shaky. Kaoru let out a deep breath.

"Mori-sempai," he simply spoke. Ebi pursed her lips together, finally getting it. Kaoru let go of her hand at that moment and nodded. "I just wanted to clear things up a bit," he laughed very shakily. "I'm going to try my hardest to move on and divert my attention elsewhere,"

Kaoru looked up to Ebi once more and found her looking at him with tears in her eyes, which made him confused. Did she want to hear something else from him? After a few moments, she finally nodded, her hand reaching out once more before retreating to her side. Mori decided it was now time for him to leave before he grew even more awkward. The girl he had affections for was being 'set free' by the other man who also shared feeling for her. Ebi watched as Kaoru finally left her door; his footsteps slow as he walked down the corridor to his own room, her mind racing. She didn't know what to feel at the moment and moved out of the doorway, glancing back at the sleeping form of her cousin then smiling lightly at the giggles of Kyoya and Renge coming from next door. She slowly closed the door and began and took a step, her hand moving to wipe at her face.

Ebi sighed as she walked down the cold floor of the Morinozuka mansion floor, her face now blotchy from crying after her talk with Kaoru. From everything she had gathered, he had feelings for her, but now, he denied everything, wanting to move on. It was the jealousy and fear that rang through Ebi's brain made her realize that maybe her feelings towards him were stronger than just friendship. Still, her crying after he told her he didn't love her proved the point even more, that he had affected her more than she realized it. However, instead of fighting it, Ebi decided that maybe her relationship with Mori would help her get over whatever she was feeling. Most of the group was at the mansion at the moment after a long day, but she couldn't help but feel weird about being there, even if it was with her friends. So Ebi walked down the hall, her eyes a bit heavy as she looked out one of the open doors at the soft snow fall. She wasn't cold, and yet she sneezed and after a moment, the door behind her slid open and she shivered, almost knowing who was behind her. She turned her head to look over her shoulder and offered a soft smile as Mori walked towards her, dressed in his home kimono, a soft expression on his face.

"Ebi," he skewed his mouth then as the moonlight made her blotchy cheeks a little more obvious. "Did everything go ok?" he asked, trying to hide the fact he knew almost everything that was said and watched as Ebi looked away. She sighed, shrugging.

"I think everybody was playing a cruel joke on us and wanted to hook us up," she lied, softly chuckling. "Maybe they saw our close friendship and jokester ways as soul-mate behavior," she frowned then. "They took it too far and Kaoru told me he didn't like me like that," Mori gulped, knowing Kaoru didn't directly say that, but it was clear that he was giving up. He then realized that Ebi was crying because he had said that. Was she jealous or was she just upset about the supposed joke?

"I'm sorry," he assured and hesitated to pull her into a hug, her face pressing to his chest as she turned to him. "Do you have feelings for Kao-san?" he asked suddenly, biting his tongue in shock of his own question. Ebi paused before shaking her head at his chest.

"Mo-chan," she lifted her head, a small amount of tears still glazing her eyes as she braved a smile. "I let you kiss me for a reason," she teased, sniffing softly. He nodded, half believing her and let her leave his arms as they stepped back inside, her body hesitating to walk back to her guest room. Mori leaned his arm against his door to look at her as she turned back to him. "Can I…" she pursed her lips together and sighed. "Renge and Kyo-chan are making explicit noises next door and…" she turned a bright shade of pink and Mori felt himself laughing softly before urging her to his room, even though his own ears became hot. She had just been practically emotionally dumped and now the two somewhat lovers were alone in his bedroom. Mori felt his brain throw up. Sliding the door closed, Ebi walked and hesitated before sitting on the edge of the rather large bed, her bottom lip wedged in her mouth.

"I can stay in another room, Ebi-chan," Mori suddenly spoke, looking at her anxious face. She turned her head sharply and let her grin shine through her still shaky breath, laughing.

"Mori, I think we are old enough to share a bed," her cheeks stayed pink and turned to make circles with her finger on the sheet. Mori raised an eyebrow at her lack of nickname or honor, but moved to sit next to her and felt his heart begin to beat fast.

"I will not dishonor you, Ebi," he assured, placing his hand on top of hers. She smiled before widening her eyes, realizing what he meant. She blushed even harder and rested her forehead on his shoulder, sighing as his breath circled around her ear. "Are you sure you are ok?" he asked softly. Ebi nodded slightly, her eyes closed. She still felt his hand over hers and could feel her heart aching.

"I'm not as hurt as I could be, I suppose," she whispered, gulping as she felt and heard Mori's heart beat through his shoulder. "It was just a misunderstanding that both of us got caught up in, as well as everybody else," she opened her eyes to find Mori's hand holding hers a little tighter, his nose now against her head, right above her ear.

"Will you be alright?" he whispered.

Ebi shivered as his breath passed by her ear and neck once more. She finally lifted her head and found his face in close proximity to her own. After letting her heart kick at her ribcage, she nodded, her eyes widening a little. Mori noticed her nervousness and felt his own heart rattling his chest and realized that even if he could move away, he didn't want to. He understood that her mood wasn't one to take advantage of, but still, neither of them moved away from their close proximities. Ebi's eyes shifted slightly, and suddenly, Mori feared losing her in that moment. He moved his hand from hers and realized his dream of never hesitating around her by resting his hand on her cheek, pushing his fingers beneath her hair and past her ear. Ebi looked back at him, her lips twitching slightly. The moment was much more intense than any moment the two had previously experienced and Mori got that it was now or never. With a gentle pull on her face, their lips touched and almost instantly, Ebi complied, her head tilted and her hands moved to reach out to him.

The moment her hands touched his chest however, Mori felt even more empowered, knowing some of his passion was because he had just heard Kaoru practically break Ebi's heart. He almost paused at that thought, knowing there was something wrong. Instead, he furthered the kiss, pushing back on her as he rested his other hand on the bed, his arm encircled around her own body. Ebi's exhale of a soft moan encouraged him even more, his lips trailing from hers to her cheek before they dared to go lower, finally landing right below her ear where he proceeded to peck even lower. She shivered, and he paused, wondering if it was a good or bad thing. What was Ebi thinking about as she clenched the front of is kimono just now? He too flinched as her fingers found the flesh of his neck and upper chest, now exposed thanks to their movements. Finally, he spoke, his mouth still pressed against her ear.

"Is everything ok?" he breathed.

Ebi gulped, but nodded, her hands shaking slightly as she pushed open his night haori, Mori's nerves finally catching up to him as he pulled back to look at her. Her face was once again a bright shade of pink, leaving Mori curious as to what her experiences in life had led her to. He knew she had a boyfriend in the states but what was their relationship like. Hell, Mori thought, what was his and Ebi's relationship to begin with. His hand moved from the sheets to her side and she scooted closer, Ebi's bottom lip clenched between her teeth as she pulled at his waist, almost desperately. Mori was unsure of what she wanted then but followed suit, his fingers tugging at her obi, teenaged hormones clouding his usual high sense of judgment. Ebi pulled on his shoulders once more and he let out a soft laugh as he finally got the hint, letting her body fall under his own just as the front of her kimono shifted open. They paused, the rustling of fabric still settling around them as Ebi peered at Mori. Finally he saw it; doubt, and every excited and anxious feeling he had left him and he frowned as he thought about Kaoru. Their bodies stayed like that, Mori's breathing sharp as Ebi held onto his shoulders, her eyes wavering away.

"Mori," she whispered. When he didn't quite respond, she let her lip shudder. "_Takashi_," she finally urged, making his eyes snap to hers. "I…" she gulped her eyes hazy once more. "How do you feel about me?" she whispered, and Mori instantly knew exactly what she meant. He nodded and found the mental strength to pull away, helping her sit back up on the edge of the bed. She neglected to cover up her exposed bra, and Mori flushed red as he moved his hand to pull her kimono over it. Her soft smile reassured but also discouraged him. It was once again, now or never.

"I love you Ebi," Mori paused, softly smiling as he mimicked Kaoru's earlier words. "I do," Ebi gulped, her eyes running fast across his face. "But, there is somebody else who love you much more than I do," he finished, Ebi nodding as if she expected him to say it. Their hands were still touching and their breaths were heavy, lips red from passionate kissing. Yet, Mori shook his head slightly. "I have yearned for this, Ebi…" he looked at her as her eyes widened once more. "…But this is for another lifetime," he finished, gripping her hand tighter. "Kaoru is in love with you, no matter how much he says otherwise. The others are not tricking you and I have denied it for too long," Ebi let a few tears go.

"So it's true…" she managed out.

"You and Kaoru are meant to be…"

Ebi gulped as Mori finished what he was saying and didn't know how to respond. However, it didn't look like Mori expected much of her. After a moment spent awkwardly catching their breath, the two stood up, and Ebi brought him to her, locking them in a tight embrace. There were no more words exchanged, and silently, Ebi left his room, a soft, but solemn smile on her lips. She walked against the cold floor once more, letting her head mull over just what had happened today. What would happen tomorrow and what would happen in the future. She had a whole half of the year left to "fix" things, and while that was plenty of time, she was still scared. Ebi, for once, did not know what to do.

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><p><em>AN: So… I'm so sorry for multiple things. Posting so so so so late and also for this sad/erotic chapter. Uhhh… it gets better? MOOOOO_


	16. Discovery

_A/N: I would like to hear some suggestions from my readers what they would like to see happen with the "background homosexual cast" :D. Between the woes of KaoruXEbiXMori, we can't forget there are four other couples! Anyways, here you go!_

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><p>To say Haruhi was confused would be an understatement. As she watched her group of friends hang out in the sprawling patio of Mori's mansion, she couldn't help but let her eyes watch every movement Ebi made, her actions always hesitant when Mori or Kaoru neared. They were eating at the picnic table while the boys played kick the can; the sport made a little difficult by the light layer of snow. Ebi sat shivering, per usual, but Haruhi could see the tell-tale signs of grief on her face; red eyes, tired face and un-kept appearance. Something had happened the night before. Tamaki's hand fell on her knee then, and as she turned to look at her own love, he seemed just as worried as she felt. Ebi got up at that moment, Hunny dragging her to where he and Reiko were planting new flowers in the garden. With them gone, Haruhi watched as Hikaru and Mei fast approached.<p>

"Something isn't right," Mei blurted her eyes wide as if she was frightened for her life. Hikaru held tightly to her arm as he titled his head to the scene behind them. Haruhi and Tamaki both leaned over and let their jaws drop at the sight of Kaoru giving Kuniko a piggy-back ride, her laughter mimicking that of what usually came out of Hunny. A few yards away, sat Mori, meditating in his kendo uniform.

"What's wrong with Mori-sempai?" Tamaki asked. Hikaru sighed, his eyes full of woe.

"I can't be sure, but all I can tell you is that something is definitely wrong!" he whimpered, arm tugging on Mei once more. She sighed, leaning back against him. Haruhi glanced at her friends scattered across the yard and raised an eyebrow.

"So maybe Ebi-chan isn't with either Kao-chan or Mori-sempai?" she pondered, making Hikaru widen his eyes even more. Tamaki nodded.

"Sempai seems to be in deep thought today and the two haven't spoken at all today," he spoke. The group hummed in unison, understanding. Mei glanced over at Kuniko again.

"Kuni-san told me that Kao-chan told her that he told Ebi-chan to be happy with sempai," she admitted. Hikaru smacked his hand against his face and groaned.

"And in turn sempai told Ebi-chan to go back to Kaoru," Haruhi shook her head in disapproval.

"Bakas," she hissed, rolling her eyes. Suddenly, the group grew quiet as Ebi neared again, a nervous look in her eyes.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, looking at Hikaru's expression. Mei raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure we shouldn't be asking _you_ that?" she returned. Ebi skewed her mouth to the side before sighing.

"You guys will figure it out on your own," she paused to glare at them, though not as spitefully as she could have done. "I'm just done playing games," she whispered. Haruhi watched as her friend retreated again, her hand digging into her bag for a phone. In that moment, as she left, Kyoya and Renge finally appeared their expressions too happy for the atmosphere. Kyoya picked up on it almost immediately.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Hikaru let out a disappointed sigh.

"We really screwed up again," he admitted, acknowledging Ebi now sitting back by Hunny who was desperately trying to keep her from breaking. Kyoya raised his head in pensive thought.

"Plans will sometimes backfire," he started when Renge allowed a small smile.

"We just have to come up with something better…" as she trailed off, Haruhi watched in the distance as Ebi looked back at her cousin frolicking with Kaoru before she looked over at the still silent and still Mori. Nobody deserved what they were feeling at that moment. However, Haruhi concluded, Renge was right. They would now have to un-do what they had somewhat caused.

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><p>January had been a cold month in both the ways of nature and personality. The group slowly learned that indeed Kaoru had admitted his feelings in a way to Ebi but then encouraged her to stay with Mori. In turn, Mori broke off whatever their relationship was heading to and all three subconsciously ignored each other for a few weeks. It wasn't until the strange closeness between Kaoru and Kuniko was confirmed as the two "testing the waters of dating" that Mori grew back his protective feelings of Ebi, and yet again, the two began talking, but when they would sit together, Mori kept his hands wedged between his knees, so he wouldn't be tempted to hold her. The group couldn't understand what was going on; except they knew they had to fix it. Ebi was slowly losing her spark and it was pretty plain to see to everybody except what seemed like Kaoru. Her hair was never in her side pony any longer, and instead of wearing her usual dresses, jeans became the regular.<p>

It was now February, and while the group still worried over the status of Ebi and Kaoru and Mori, today was a more important day; Haruhi's birthday. Today she turned sixteen, and while she would most likely protest a huge surprise party, Tamaki encouraged one to be held in the music room, with invitations only sent to the most exclusive host club visitors. Mei currently had her distracted in the library, while the others decorated.

Ebi let her eyes blink slowly as she sat with Mori on one of the couches in the host club room, her hand moving idly as she stirred her tea, Mori's glances making her feel uncomfortable.

"Ebi," he urged, still feeling confident in leaving off the honorific. She looked at his questionable eyes and sighed, understanding what he was asking of her.

"I'm worried about Haruhi's birthday today and then Hunny's at the end of the month as well," she gulped, eyes drifting to where Renge and Kyoya "conspired" at their table of laptops and ledgers. "Don't even mention Valentine's Day,"

"Another dance," he reminded her, frowning as her eyes drifted back down to her cup. Mori offered a small grin. "Good thing it's a leap year, yeah?" he joked, in reference to Hunny's birthday.

Ebi grinned a bit before watching as Hikaru approached with a soft smile on his face. It worried Ebi a bit, as it was uncharacteristic, but the moment he handed her a key, she knew it was for the changing room where they had hid the cake she had baked.

"I'd love to help decorate," he grinned, the sinister innocence making Ebi roll her eyes. Mori encouraged her to walk across the room, her eyes avoiding the curious eyes of Kyoya as they walked into the clothes room, Hikaru beaming as Ebi uncovered the cake.

"You have to be careful, the frosting is still delicate," she advised. Hikaru simply sat on the table instead of helping like he had suggested. His smile had dropped.

"When are you going to talk to my brother?" he suddenly asked. Ebi let her eyebrows flinch up and her heart race, but did not waver in her piping of writing in English, _Happy_. Hikaru sighed, leaning towards her. Ebi finally glanced up.

"Do I have a reason to talk to him?" she asked calmly. Her heart said otherwise. Hikaru raised a curious eyebrow.

"Well, you haven't talked to him since New Year's Day-"

"Eve," Ebi corrected, looking back down at the cake. "We just haven't had the chance to," she mused, starting on _Birthday_. Hikaru didn't seem satisfied and jumped down, opting to stand next to her.

"It's been more than a month and you two are our resident matchmakers," he encouraged, leaning over her side to see her face. Ebi somewhat glared at him.

"I don't think we are qualified to be matchmakers any more, Hika-chan," Ebi mumbled. Hikaru finally sighed, stepping back a bit.

"You guys are in love in the worst way," he waved his hand in the air and paused at the door, turning back for only a moment to see Ebi had finally paused, her hands shaking as she started on Haruhi's name. "See?" he snickered, bolting out the door. Ebi whipped her body around, about to yell when Mori appeared, her scowl transforming into a sigh.

"Ninja," she joked, as he approached.

"Birthday girl is here," he explained.

Quickly, Ebi finished decorating the cake and the candles were lit, Mori opting to carry it out the door and into the dimly lit room where guests had showed up while Ebi was distracted. She walked slowly after Mori, but opted to find a spot to observe from a distance, noting that the only free spot would be wedged between Kuniko and Kaoru; which was the equivalent of a rock and a hard place. Hikaru noticed, and sighed, Ebi immediately noticing his disappointment. Soon though, Haruhi was ushered through the door with Mei and the lights flickered on, the whole room screaming in excitement. Haruhi practically melted as Tamaki spun her around and by the time she blew out the candles, her face was still red in embarrassment.

Still, the small (if you could call thirty people small) party was successful until the light snow fall in the distance turned into a thunderstorm. It was quickly decided where everybody would go, and when Mori tracked down Ebi, she encouraged him she would be fine walking home the same route she always took. The bus wasn't that bad and she actually liked the rain; it was still light outside. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Haruhi was still terrified, and in turn, Tamaki had turned into a blubbering mess, the couple quickly running off while guests turned confused on if the party was now over. While there was a small chaos, Ebi decided to slip out, tightening her jacket around her before wrapping her bag across her chest, glad her grandmother always taught her to carry an umbrella. Walking along the sidewalk of the school was the easy part; the moment she got to the main streets, she knew there was a high probability of getting hit by splashdown of cars or gutters. Still, she kept walking, and when she heard a familiar voice behind her, she turned, but then felt even more dread.

"Ebi-chan!"

Kaoru was running after her, with no umbrella, a dumbfounded look spread across his features. She gulped, wondering who had put him up to it. He finally approached her and almost instantly, the puppy dog eyes formed and Ebi realized what he meant. Sighing, she stepped closer so he was standing underneath the umbrella with her. He gulped, raising a hand to push the wet hair from his face.

"Uh…" she trailed, eyeing him. Kaoru frowned slightly before pointing in the direction she was previously walking.

"Are you walking home? I'll walk you," he paused. "I mean, I wanted to talk to you anyways and when Hikaru told me you had left, I thought it would be better to run after you than make the chauffeur do it,"

Ebi let her eyes fall into an unimpressed glance and raised an eyebrow.

"You mean Hika-chan told you to walk me home," she corrected. Kaoru's eyes widened a bit before he shook his head.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you…" he finally sighed, lowering his head. "Hika-chan pushed me," he lifted his head, waving his hands a bit with a wild look. "But only for encouragement; I wanted to do it!" he laughed uneasily, Ebi moving her umbrella to the other hand. She let the breath she had been holding subconsciously go and nodded once, slowly turning so that he got the hint to follow her closely. "So…"

Ebi glanced up at him, a curious gaze in her eyes.

"Can we at least wait till we are back at my apartment? I can barely hear you," she motioned to the amount of cars passing by them.

Kaoru nodded, taking the liberty of holding the umbrella and standing on the side closest to the street. Ebi appreciated the offer, but kept it in the back of her head, not wanting to get excited over a small act. The two walked in silence for a while, and Ebi was fine with it, but would occasionally glance up to find Kaoru in constant thought, his eyes maneuvering all over the place, his lips tight. She ended up getting so distracted by his face that she didn't realize that he wasn't paying attention to the semi that was honking at them. By the time the truck passed by them, it was too late, and Kaoru and her were plastered together for a brief moment, the large wave kicked up by the truck crashing over them. After the initial shock, Kaoru looked worriedly at Ebi, but was relieved when she just laughed it off, hands pushing her hair out of her eyes and wiping at her face. Knowing her apartment was close, the two scuffled, and soon enough, Ebi was shoving her key into the doorknob, her fingers shivering not only from the rain, but the winter weather. Stepping into the apartment, Kaoru sniffed, his nose stuffy from the cold before realizing something. It was way too dark for 5 o'clock in the afternoon, even in winter. As Ebi closed the door, she realized it too and sneezed, her body shuffling through the familiar space to where the light switch should have turned on the lights.

"Wonderful," she mumbled sarcastically. Kaoru gulped, but watched as Ebi's body became a little clearer, a flashlight now in her hand. "The power's out, and that means it's going to get pretty cold in here soon,"

Kaoru watched as she leaned down to take off her boots, and slowly copied, waiting for her to motion him over to the small bathroom, water trailing behind them. Once in there, Ebi grabbed matches from the medicine cabinet before lighting the candles that were in the bathroom, usually used for decorations. She sighed, eyeing him for a moment before moving towards the shower.

"We can take turns getting out of our wet clothes behind the curtain," she paused, pointing at the cabinet. "Just be prepared to hand me towels and to close your eyes," Kaoru flushed red and stood still as she disappeared behind the curtain, clothing soon being draped over the curtain rod. "Isn't it funny how we end up in these situations?"

"How do you mean?" Kaoru asked, fiddling with his own jacket. His chest felt tight. Ebi sighed audibly.

"We get caught in the rain, end up at my place where my dad is conveniently gone and the power's out and we're both _wet_," she paused and leaned her head around the curtain, Kaoru blushing as he could see her bare shoulder. "Please ignore the fact I just emphasized the word wet," she blushed, eyeing the cabinet.

Kaoru fumbled to hand her a few towels, Ebi hesitant to step out. Respectively, Kaoru turned, but as she grazed by him, he glanced, realizing she was most probably stark naked underneath the few towels she was holding to her body. She left the room and Kaoru melted in the very spot, feeling highly unsure of himself. Seeing her bra and panties strung over the curtain rod didn't help either. By the time he was done, Ebi had placed a pair of her father's unused boxers and a shirt on a hook, Kaoru still uneasy about meeting her in the hallway where she stood with the flashlight. There, she stood an anxious look on her face. He stood in one of her father's shirts and even more embarrassingly, boxers. She tugged at her pajama top before ushering him towards her room, where she had lit more candles and had already built up a small fort for Kaoru on the ground. She sat on the ledge of her bed then, and eyed him as he sat on the floor.

"What's there to talk about?" she prompted, making Kaoru glance up at her. His eyes were now adjusted to the dark, but he was still hesitant to speak when he couldn't see her face. She somewhat got the hint and lowered herself to the ground, sitting directly across from him.

"I just want you to know I would like to be friends," he spoke, rather innocently. Ebi raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't we friends?" she asked back. Kaoru fiddled with his hands and shrugged.

"I don't feel like it," he paused. "Ever since," Ebi shook her head, glancing away.

"Awkward talk, Kaoru," she grinned a bit. "But I know what you mean," she fidgeted as well. "I'd like to be friends too," she agreed. Kaoru smiled and eyed her once more as she lifted herself up to lie back down on her bed. She looked back at him and let her lips twinge. "Do you have enough blankets?" she whispered. Kaoru looked at the pillow and blanket on the floor and shrugged.

"I… suppose?" he didn't mean to sound as pathetic as it came out, but soon, Ebi's hand was outstretched to him, and even though he didn't need her help to get up, he took the offer and watched as she scooted over, making room for him. However, as he grabbed the blanket from the floor, she rolled over and physically made the boundary clear. Kaoru somewhat ignored it and placed the blanket over them before resting his arm over her waist, careful to make sure a blanket was between the gesture. Her body flinched, but soon relaxed, excepting the act. Kaoru closed his eyes, wondering what the hell was going on.

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><p>The strange night that Kaoru and Ebi shared was kept a secret between them, but it was clear to the group that something even stranger had wedged a huge piece of awkward silence between them as the week leading up to Valentine's Day progressed. No matter how much Haruhi or Mori pushed, Ebi wouldn't crack, and no matter how much Hikaru threatened Kaoru, he kept his silence. Kyoya worried about the revenues of the Host club, but Haruhi and Hikaru both worried about the discussion that could have happened between the two. Still, there was much to be planned for the Valentine's Day party, and while Ebi was anxious about another love masquerade, she was encouraged by both Hunny and Mori that she didn't have to participate in activities if she didn't want to. However, the night of Valentine's Day, Ebi found herself in a deep red dress, her hair in a side fish-tail, made courtesy by Hikaru. She had made her rounds as the music played, opting to fill her belly rather than dance, escorting Kuniko around until she got comfortable with Mei and the twins. It wasn't until the music slowed and she recognized Daft Punk that a smile landed on her lips, reminiscing about the last time they played at a host club event. This time around, she turned to see if any of her friends were available to dance, but shifted her mouth to the side, finding everybody with their couples. Even Mori had succumbed to a petite stranger in a mask, making Ebi lean against the table she was by.<p>

"The song will change in a minute, but will you still dance with me?"

Ebi flinched as she heard and then saw Kaoru appear right next to her, her eyes blinking at the mask that covered his face. She was surprised she was still able to recognize him and that he recognized her. Still, she nodded, letting him take her hand and take her to where the majority of people were dancing. She let the eyes of her friends penetrate their bubble and as the song shifted into a slower _Daft_ song, she gulped, Kaoru's hands landing right on her hips. Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and they swayed, her mouth subconsciously mouthing the words she knew all too well.

…_there's something about us I want to say, because there's something between us anyway_

Kaoru chuckled softly, obviously catching the strange reference most people in the crowd wouldn't. Ebi stopped singing along, letting her eyes trail up to Kaoru's where she found him transfixed, and yet, she didn't like the feeling growing in her stomach. What was happening? Just as quickly as the first song ended, so did the one she was trapped in, and almost immediately, Mei, Haruhi and Kuniko showed up, asking them if they wanted to start a conga line. Ebi stood back again, this time with Haruhi as Kaoru reluctantly was dragged off by none other than her cousin.

"Are you guys…?" Haruhi hesitated and Ebi shook her head violently, stripping herself of her mask.

"No," she mumbled. Haruhi gulped before looking back to where a loud whoop was coming from.  
>"Uhh… <em>good<em>," she emphasized, and Ebi looked up, only to feel her heart dissolve in the acid of her stomach. Right in the center of an excited crowd, Kuniko was excitedly kissing Kaoru, him not hesitating to kiss her right back. Skewing her mouth to the side, Ebi looked at Haruhi, both girls sharing the same look of despair. Quickly, she turned and mumbled something about a bathroom before dashing out of the room. Haruhi was about to follow her when Hikaru grabbed her, a panicked look on his face.

"Did she just see that?" he yelled. Haruhi nodded feverishly, tears lining her eyes. She felt so sorry for her friend, and yet, knew why Hikaru was so angry. In a hurry, Hikaru was at Kaoru's side and dragging him to a secluded balcony. Once there, Kaoru looked at his brother, somewhat confused.

"Party pooper," he joked, patting his brother's shoulder. Hikaru grabbed it and through it back at him.

"How long to do plan on stringing them along, huh?" he asked, calmly at first. When Kaoru didn't respond right away, Hikaru stepped closer. "Are you _trying_ to break Ebi's heart?" he finally yelled, making Kaoru lean back and reluctantly take his mask off.

"What do you mean?" he asked, gulping, as he knew the truth. Hikaru closed his eyes, trying desperately to calm his nerves.

"You need to sort out your priorities and figure out just what you are doing," he muttered, looking back at his brother. Suddenly Kaoru's shoulders fell, defensively.

"You mean pick a girl," he corrected. Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

"You mean there's a choice between the two?" Hikaru was mad again. "What happened to telling Ebi how you felt?" he asked, raising his arms. Kaoru raised his back.

"I _did_ that!" he paused. "She obviously doesn't feel the same," he clenched his fists. "She's still close to Mori rather than me," he whispered. Hikaru showed no mercy.

"Did you ever think about telling her again?" he came close to his brother and looked him dead in the eyes. "But telling her the _truth_?"

Kaoru finally let his expression break and looked at his brother desperately. Hikaru understood, but held his ground, watching as his brother began to break at the seams, his arms reaching out and clinging to him, his soft sobs echoing in his ear.

"You were right from the beginning, Hika…" Kaoru pulled away. "I broke the rules,"

"Kao-"

"I'm in love with Ebi,"

Kaoru gulped, raising his hand to his mouth, trying to figure out how to push the words he just spoke back into his mouth. It was no use; it was now out in the open, and while it was only heard by his brother, it was now known by the entire cosmos. Kaoru had admitted what everybody had assumed, and it scared the living shit out of him. Hikaru simply smiled at his brother, feeling just as relieved as him.

"Go," he pushed.

Kaoru turned on his heel, placing his mask right back on and running past the curious crowd towards where Ebi had run off to. Soon, he found red fabric draping off one of the stairs on a staircase and ran up, opting not to yell at her in case she ran away. Instead, he approached her slowly, but watched as she stood up, her face blotchy, expression not too pleased as she tried to walk past him. Instead, Kaoru grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, his arms wrapping around her tightly. She fidgeted against him and he gulped.

"Ebi, I-"

"Kaoru…" she pleaded. He peeled away and ignored her, anxiously pressing his lips urgently to her own. It was short lived and not as sweet as he would have hoped as he found her reluctant and soon, she had shoved him off her, her hand moving to slap his face. Kaoru stood with wide eyes; a deer caught in headlights. Ebi breathed heavily and wiped at her mouth before shaking her head wildly.

"You can't just _kiss_ me!" she shouted, tears lining her eyes. "You just kissed _Kuniko_!" she held her hands up, pleading physically for an answer.

"Ebi, I rushed over here to tell you that I should have not ever told you to stay with sempai or that I simply only _liked_ you because I actually…" the break Kaoru took was enough for Ebi to start shaking her head again.

"No, no, _no_!" she yelled, running down the steps again. At the bottom she whipped around and pointed up at him. "You will not say those words to me," she let her lips shake as she almost wavered. "We are _friends_ Kaoru," she let her cries become a little more audible. "That's _it_,"

Ebi turned at that and hesitated before rushing away, afraid Kaoru would be behind her. Instead, he stood right where he was, trying to comprehend just what the hell happened, once again.

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><p><em>AN: A really long chapter usually means more reviews, right? I'm sorry I abandoned you for so long! Oh and don't worry... things won't be so angst-y for too long!_


	17. Et tu, Ebi?

_A/N: So I've been playing a lot of Catherine. My dreams are now filled with blocks. Help! This is a pretty short chapter, but there's something pretty exciting for you at the end!_

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><p>It was growing increasingly difficult to keep the events that took place at the Valentine's Day party under wraps. Not even the highest of material bribes from Kyoya could keep the whispers of Kaoru and Ebi's strained relationship flowing throughout the host club guests. It was apparent that Kaoru was not recovering well from the ordeal, even Hikaru shocked at the outcome of that night. Ebi tried desperately after that to stay away, not wanting to deal with confrontation from high school girls. On top of that, she had to prepare herself for Hunny's upcoming birthday party on leap year. It was tough enough trying to explain her reasoning to Haruhi, but she knew she would have to explain herself sooner or later to everybody else. No doubt, she would be cornered the minute Hikaru spotted her. The girls of the host club grew protective, understanding almost instantly without explanation why Ebi had not accepted Kaoru immediately. The boys, however, had mixed feelings. Hikaru, to be expected, was just as shocked as Kaoru. Tamaki and Mori had agreed that the group still needed to work towards fixing the situation, while Hunny and Kyoya thought they should just let the situation solve itself.<p>

It was now the day of Hunny's birthday, and because she promised, Ebi found herself sitting in the music room, serving cupcakes to the birthday boy while ignoring the stares she was receiving from the girls that had sided with Kaoru on his _heartbreak_. Still, she kept a smile, trying desperately not to crack. Hunny had announced he wanted a pool party, but after realizing it was too cold for that, he settled on a large karaoke party at a sushi bar his parents rented out for him. Ebi was intimidated by the aspect of a third party in three weeks, but realized this _was_ their lifestyle. However, she was also grateful for the physical barrier Mori had created by following her about, making sure nobody dared to mess with her, him knowing she wasn't ready to talk.

That's how it was until the party reformed at the sushi house, Haruhi and Ebi regaining some of their sanity at the revolving sushi bar. For the first time in a week, Ebi found herself laughing as her friend and her gorged on fatty tuna, soon joined by a giggling Renge and Reiko; a rare sight for the once black magic club member.

"What's going on?" Haruhi asked, looking at Renge's suspicious smile. Reiko eyed the group of members dancing to the bad karaoke music, and her and Ebi joined in laughing at the sight of Mei and Hikaru owning the dance circle, their antics highly humorous to the rest of the party.

"The more important question is what's going on between Mei-chan and Hika-chan," Ebi pondered aloud, pointing her chopsticks in their direction. Renge sighed, clasping her hands together next to her face.

"They are in _love_ of course!" she announced, hearts replacing her eyes. Reiko leaned over her so the other girls could hear her.

"I saw them holding hands the other day on my way to the music room," she flushed red then. "They were kissing before they went in!"

The girls proceeded to share in laughter, a mix of confusion of why the two were together and happiness for their friends. Ebi felt a little resentful, but still joined in the fun, their attention turning to the dance floor as the music slowed a bit and Mei turned to face Hikaru.

"Here's the test," Renge started. The girls glanced at her. "Arms around the waist; friendship. Around the neck; _lovers_," she explained, adding a wink at the end.

The girls waited in anticipation as slowly, Hikaru's arms wrapped around Mei's waist and in almost slow motion, Mei's arms slithered around his neck, blinking softly at him. Immediately, the girls squealed, excited about the reveal of a secret couple. Soon, however, the girl's respective boyfriends arrived at the bar, wanting to take opportunity of the slow song. Ebi chewed on her lip as the fun slowly dyed down and quickly turned back around to poke at her rice bowl. A body landed next to her and she glanced, a little surprised to see her cousin.

"Ebi," she started, a sheepish look on her face. "I'm sorry…" she trailed and Ebi shrugged, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"It's not your fault, Kuni-chan," she mumbled, sipping on her tea. Kuniko leaned so her face was clearer to her cousin's.

"You don't understand, Ebi-chan!" she pleaded, her lips turned over in a frown. "I feel really bad!" she added, her eyes drifting away in embarrassment. Ebi finally looked at her cousin and sighed, shaking her head.

"Listen, everybody messed up, so everybody is to blame," she placed a hand on Kuniko's and gave a smile. "Chill out, coz'" she joked. Kuniko smiled, but then sighed.

"Well, here's the bad news then," she paused as Ebi eyed her, her smile dropping. "I'm going to transfer back to Kyoto,"

"Why?" Ebi leaned forward, a little surprised. Kuniko shrugged.

"I miss my home and my friends," she shrugged. "This was great, but I don't think I can handle it much longer… I need normality, ya know?"

In was in that moment that Ebi realized something wonderful about having relatives in Japan and the freedom to do what she pleased. Nothing holding her down; no obligations. Ebi smiled, feeling relieved for once in the last few weeks. She eyed her cousin and squeezed her hand once more.

"Can I come with?"

* * *

><p>Haruhi sighed as she made her way to the 3rd music room that day after classes, her briefcase holding the note of burden Ebi had blessed her with carrying on. The night before, Ebi had visited her and explained she would be visiting her aunt and uncle in Kyoto, and that she would most likely be gone until a few weeks into April. While Haruhi was initially shocked at the news, she understood why Ebi needed to go. Distance would help her figure the situation out and possibly find a solution. Still, Haruhi wondered if her leaving like this would also hurt the issue growing in the club. So, when she entered the room where her friends sat, she turned and locked the door, making Kyoya eye her.<p>

"Is there a reason why you locked the door, Haruhi?" he asked, light reflecting off his glasses. Haruhi sighed, placing her briefcase on the nearest table and nodding.

"I have troubling news," she announced. Hikaru eyed her as Tamaki leaned forward, a worried expression on his face.

"Your pregnant?" Hikaru mumbled, a devilish grin on his features.

Haruhi stuck a defensive pose, while Tamaki fell over, his face stark white. Mei and him shared a loud laugh for a moment before Mori sharply looked at him, his expression forcing Haruhi to get on with her news.

"Ebi-chan decided to go back to Kyoto with Kuniko-san for a month," she slowly explained, making practically the entire group frown.

Haruhi couldn't help but let her eyes glance over at Kaoru who seemed so out of it, that the news just made him look even more like a brainless zombie. Slowly, the group copied her, and Kaoru finally caught on.

"What?" he asked, his voice a little raspy. After some of the group exchanged glances, Hikaru stood up, urging his brother to follow him.

"Maybe we should go outside for a while," he encouraged. Kaoru reluctantly followed him and Haruhi sighed, landing on one of the couches.

"So she's going to be gone for how long?" Hunny asked, on the verge of tears. Haruhi felt a soft smile come to her lips at his innocence.

"Mid-April," she explained. Hunny sniffed, saddened by the news, until Tamaki wailed.

"She'll miss my birthday party!" he exclaimed, hands resting tightly on his cheeks. Haruhi glanced at her boyfriend, a little worried about his attitude.

"Is that important?" she mumbled. Tamaki grew silent, going back to his hamster hovel in the corner. Kyoya cleared his throat.

"Maybe this is our chance to recuperate the club and let things fix themselves when she gets back," he suggested. Renge looked at him suspiciously.

"Darling, I have to say I don't agree," while the group looked at her in shock, she smiled. "I think this gives us the perfect opportunity to come up with a plan that isn't impromptu or last-minute,"

"A pre-calculated plan of matchmaking," Mei brought up, Renge's contagious evil smirk now on her lips. The two looked at the rest of the group. Haruhi gulped.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Kyoya skewed his mouth to the side.

"Something that would work in the best way possible; something that would force Kaoru and Ebi to get together not as a couple, but as matchmakers," he paused to look at Renge. She grinned, knowing how to complete the thought.

"The rest they can figure out," she beamed. Hunny frowned a little.

"There's no way we can come up with something that good by the time she comes back," he pouted. "Spontaneous is what we're good at," Reiko suddenly giggled, catching the attention of the entire group. She grinned.

"Why not come up with a spontaneous plan?" she suggested. After being met with curious glances, she paused in thought. "I know…" she trailed and soon the members were leaned towards her. "Well, maybe I can ask Nekozawa-san to _curse_ the couples of the group to break up and have him tell Kao-chan and Ebi-chan that in order to break the curse; they have to make the couple kiss once more under their guidance…" Reiko pressed a finger to her lips in thought, her words not fully coherent to the group. Renge however, caught on and jumped up and down excitedly, leaning towards Kyoya.

"Why Kaoru and Ebi?" Mori asked, opening an eye. "To play devil's advocate," he reassured. Reiko offered a small smile.

"As a student of black magic, I can tell you their karma is very much influenced by the good they do by spreading love," she winked at the end, making the group laugh. Haruhi sighed, hopelessly.

"It's so crazy, it might just work,"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Expect a lot of fun stuff next time around. Everybody has to pretend to be broken up! That will be hard for our frisky couple Renge and Kyoya. Speaking of which, I want to hear who you think should "get lucky" with their lady first! :3 Brb, gotta keep climbing blocks._


	18. Curses!

_A/N: You guys are so awesome: D. Time to get this last story arc underway! Oops… did I say last story arc?_

* * *

><p>Kaoru was greatly confused when he learned that Ebi had traveled out of town without telling anybody except Haruhi. He was even more confused when he learned she would be gone for just about a month. Her lack of presence both helped and hindered him; he missed seeing her, but almost understood why she needed a break. They both did. The thought of seeing her made Kaoru's head spin every day, and it got much worse the night of Valentine's Day. He had misjudged her feelings and probably confused the hell out of her just as she did to him. Maybe he should have said something different on New Year's day, or maybe he should have just kissed her like he wanted to impulsively after he had "won" their bet. There was so much he thought about what he could have done that now; he knew it was time to think about what he was <em>going<em> to do when Ebi got back. It would take a lot to rebuild their relationship, and who's to say he wouldn't mess up again by crossing that boundary? Kaoru couldn't decide what would be better; start anew or deal with the pain until she left back to America. Unbeknownst to him, he wouldn't have a choice in the matter.

Kaoru was already running late from his last class to the music room, wondering why Hikaru had not stayed to wait for him. They had received news that Ebi was now back, but would visit in the morning. Hence, the group decided they would through a welcome back party, just between the friends. Feeling his heart clench at the thought of seeing Ebi once more made him in the hallway. He didn't have to worry about himself for long, however.

"Kao-san!" a worried female voice approached him and he glanced up to see one of the regulars from the host club. Her panicked face instantly shook all thoughts from his mind. "You need to go to the music room _right_ now!"

She pushed at him slightly, and Kaoru widened his eyes, but quickly moved down the rest of the hallway to find the club doors open, but the room thick with tension. Kaoru let his eyes wander the room as he watched his friends yell and scream at each other, not a single person in the room calm. His mind raced, and he approached the first person he saw; Reiko, who was bickering with Hunny about why he hand't proposed yet.

"I just want to get married like Renge and Kyoya-sempai!" she exclaimed. Kaoru widened his eyes and Hunny shook his head, the manic glint in his eyes too frightening for words. He was about to interject when the shriek of Renge overpowered his ears.

"What do you _mean_ the engagement is off?"

Kaoru whipped his head from Reiko and Hunny to where Mori and Renge were yelling with Kyoya, and then changed to find Mei crying in front of Hikaru.

"I can't believe I was starting to fall in love with you! You are _such_ a jerk!"

"You are so stupid, sempai!" Haruhi screamed above everybody else and Kaoru felt his heart leap before throwing his books on the ground and yelling.

"Everybody just shut up!" The entire room looked at him and quickly, Reiko looked at Hunny with an impressed look on her face. Kaoru was breathing heavily. "Just what in the world is going on?"

The back door creaked open then, and the group diverted their attention, but without glaring at somebody first. Nekozawa peeked around the door and Kaoru raised an eyebrow as he smiled evilly.

"A curse," he simply spoke. Kaoru walked a little closer, watching as Mei turned her back to Hikaru, her eyes still blotchy. Kaoru looked at Nekozawa again.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Nekozawa snickered.

"A curse has been placed on the couples in this room," he shifted a bit behind the safety of the door. "They no longer believe in love…" he trailed off and laughed a bit, making Kaoru crease his eyebrows together.

"What are you talking about?" he asked again, growing even more concerned. Nekozawa paused, dumbfounded by how long it was taking for Kaoru to realize what was going on. He sighed.

"I grew too annoyed by the _mush_ that protruded from this room, so I cursed the couples so they would not believe in love any longer, and then break up with their significant other," he paused and watched as Kaoru slowly began to frown, before a scowl appeared on his face.

"Fix this!" he screamed, pointing at his friends. Nekozawa waved his hands defensively.

"The only person that can fix this isn't here right now," he spoke, gulping slightly. This was the selling point. "Only the one that goes by Ebi Kochi can expel the curse," the whole room held their breaths and watched as the information mulled in Kaoru's mind. His face scrunched up a bit and he tilted his head.

"Why Ebi?" he finally asked. They turned their eyes to Nekozawa.

"She has the spirit of a matchmaker," he simply explained. The group kept their breaths as Kaoru looked back at the dark magic leader. "…and it is your job to make her realize that,"

Kaoru felt confused again. Was Nekozawa telling the truth? It certainly seemed so. But what about Ebi?

"Prove it," he answered back. Nekozawa rolled his eyes, though nobody could see it.

"You fell in love with her," was all he needed to say.

Kaoru finally nodded, and the group let out their collective breaths. Then they all shared the same glance with the same hidden thought. Had Kaoru really just fallen for that entire set-up?

* * *

><p>Ebi had relished in the fact she was able to go to clubs in Kyoto being so young. Back in the states she would have to wait a few more years in order to go to a good dance club; and that's all she wanted to do to unwind; dance. She didn't know anybody and while her aunt didn't really approve of her weekly weekend club visit, Ebi went either way and found comfort in the mainstream music the club played, both Japanese and U.S. singles. For a good four weeks she stayed with Kuniko and let her mind reboot itself. She needed her old self back, and the only way that was going to happen was if she spent some time with herself. So she began a relationship with music, and when she found herself back in her father's apartment, the silence almost killed her. So, instead of meeting up with the host club a top priority, she grabbed a shiny dress and headed downtown, her father now the disapproving one.<p>

Being young, blonde and a foreigner had Ebi in the club fairly quick and even though it was relatively early in the night, the place was crowded and happy hour had already begun. A smile drifted across her face and for the first time in a long time, she decided to get a drink, as she could do it legally. One drink turned into two, which turned into three, which turned into a request to the DJ and then a wait next to the dance floor until it came on. She didn't want to dance alone unless it was a song she liked, she decided. Still, she bobbed her body a bit to the rhythm, recognizing the house song.

_I just gotta dance right now, it's critical to do…_

It had already been an hour or so since she arrived, and she didn't plan on going home anytime soon. Before she knew it however, she heard her name over the music and because of the fact it meant shrimp, a few drinkers near her looked up as well. Her lips curled up and she giggled as Kaoru froze as she hugged him around the waist, her eyes glancing up at him slowly.

"Kao-chan," she dragged out his name and he gulped, letting the heat rise to his face. "Since when are you eighteen?" she asked, laughing at the end. He guessed she was asking how he got in without being of age. "Well I guess when you are Kao-chan!" she giggled some more and Kaoru let a breath go, his hand reluctant to hold her back as she swayed herself a bit while holding onto him, still listening to the music.

…_I'll get physical with you_

"Have you been drinking?" he asked, watching as she moved to press a hand to her lips, her own cheeks heating up as she winked at the lyric.

"I'm kind of a lightweight!" she admitted finally before gasping and smacking his arm playfully. "You aren't going to take advantage of that, are you Kao-chan?"

Kaoru couldn't tell if she was being serious with her outrageous flirting. However, Kaoru was there for a reason. He was about to inform her about what was going on at the school and what she would find when she visited the next day but suddenly, her face lit up and her hands wrapped around his wrist.

"_Ooo_! This is the song I requested!" she yelled. Kaoru couldn't recognize the song, and knew it was probably an American artist. His mind quickly snapped back to reality as Ebi bumped her back to his chest, her hand guiding his arm around her waist as she started to move, her lips moving along to the song. Kaoru was reluctant, but slowly complied, watching as she turned around, a different glint in her eyes as he heard English words float over the crowd. Her face drew closer and he swallowed hard.

"_I want your whiskey mouth all over my blonde south…_"

Ebi translated for him, a seductive grin on her features as she peeled her face away, but kept her hands where they were on his shoulders. He continued to move with her, but found himself blushing furiously as she hummed to the music, obviously in a good mood. Whatever he told her, she wouldn't remember for tomorrow either way.

"Oo oo oo," Ebi sang, finally pausing to move Kaoru and her away from the dance pit. Kaoru frowned slightly, worried as she looked at him with a smile. "Did you come here to rescue me?" she asked slyly. Kaoru sighed, shaking his head.

"I just-" Ebi leaned against him and as he realized she was walking slower than before, he latched his arm around her middle.

"It's ok Kao-chan, you can take me home tonight," she grinned, and Kaoru couldn't help but laugh, smelling the sake on her breath.

It seemed Ebi's personality was back, even though it was being amplified by alcohol. Slowly, he helped her out of the club and after waiting for his family chauffeur, had her in his car. It was a hard decision for Kaoru to make to take her back to the mansion, but figured if he didn't tell her what was going on before she went to the school, she would be devastated. Once in the car Ebi leaned against his shoulder and let out a long breath. Kaoru looked down to find her eyes closed.

"I missed you, Kaoru," she whispered.

His heart started racing at her words, but quickly subsided as she drifted into a light slumber, her actions being somewhat predetermined by the alcohol. Somewhat. By the time they reached the mansion, Kaoru had decided it would be wise to carry her himself to one of the guest rooms, not wanting to drag too much attention to the fact the girl he had fallen so desperately for was sleeping over. She had started to wake the moment he laid her down on the bed, her legs dangling off the ledge from being placed the wrong way. Kaoru knelt down and sighed as he unbuckled her Mary-Jane heels, glancing up as she leaned up, her face still holding a lazy smile.

"Kaoru, help me stand up," she urged, kicking off her shoes now that she could.

Kaoru gripped one of her hands and complied, but immediately found himself flipped onto the bed, Ebi's body over his and her lips against his. His eyes widened and he found himself thrown back into time when she had done this the first time. He had hesitated back then and he had just been thinking about changing it today. Kaoru's morality disputed from view as he closed his eyes and moved his hands to her waist, leaning up slightly so he could finally kiss the girl of his dreams back. Ebi moved her head slightly to make the kiss a bit more passionate and moved her legs so that she was fully straddling his body. Kaoru felt his brain kick back into gear and gulped as she peeled away, her fingers paused at the hem of her dress that had ridden up.

"Ebi," he leaned up and caught her before she could fall of the ledge, her body twisting so she was sitting in his lap, sideways. She frowned, although in Kaoru's eyes, it looked like she was pouting. After letting a small smirk go, Kaoru pushed back her hair from her face and gathered it to the side of her head where she usually wore it in a side ponytail. She got the hint and wrapped the tie from her wrist to her hair and smiled, sighing softly. "Much better," he whispered before letting her move to lay back down.

"Sorry," she mumbled before closing her eyes. Kaoru understood but still felt his stomach flip over in excitement, knowing what just happened would most likely never happen again. Still, his hormones raged as he left the room, his heart and mind battling over what he was going to say in the morning to her. What would she remember and how would she take the news about her friends?

* * *

><p>The sun had never been so blaring bright in the morning as it had been when Ebi woke up the next day. However, when she did adjust her eyes, she widened them as she saw and felt the peach Egyptian cotton sheets around her, knowing there was no way she was in her father's apartment. Upon further inspection, she found her shoes on the ground next to the bed and her hair tied into a side ponytail, albeit a bit ruffled by sleep. The moment a familiar hair of red popped in however, the sudden realization of what she had gotten herself into last night hit her like a piano falling from the skies. It was too cliché for words. The embarrassment lasted only moments however, when Kaoru started to explain what had happened at the school. A curse was something Ebi had a hard time believing, even though Kaoru seemed pretty intent on its truth. However, finding out she and him were the only ones safe from the curse made here even more suspicious and his telling of her "matchmaker spirit" made her laugh right out. It wasn't until she saw the open doors of the third music room that morning that she finally understood the severity of the situation.<p>

The group was divided in two ways; the girls were on one side and the boys were on another, however, Mori sat in the middle, seemingly unaffected. However, he glanced up as he saw Ebi and instead of saying anything in the effect of him missing her, he glanced back down at the newspaper he was reading, face holding the most stoic of expressions. Ebi leaned back and tugged nervously at her sweater, thankful that the Hitachiin manor had a surplus of female clothing thanks to the twin's mother's clothing line. She then turned to go see the girls, who were talking, but as if they were awkward acquaintances.

"Haru-chan, what's going on?" she asked nervously. Haruhi glanced at her and made no inclination of being surprised to see her.

"Oh, hey Ebi-san," she mused before looking back to her book. Ebi glanced to see Reiko folding a piece of paper with a strand of Hunny's hair, obviously performing some sort of curse. She leaned back up to look at Kaoru who motioned to where the men were sitting. Walking over, she found Hikaru holding curious, but cautious eyes at the two of them.

"You guys better not kiss in front of us, we _really_ don't like that mushy stuff," he explained. Ebi cleared her throat and leaned on one leg, shaking her head.

"How do I know this isn't a set-up?" she asked, letting the logic side of her brain speak. There was some tension behind her as the girls wondered if the plan was being foiled before their eyes, but went back into character as Kaoru turned to them. Tamaki leaned forward, though his face still held some nervousness.

"I no longer believe in the silly entity that is love," Tamaki announced, flamboyant as ever, not helping the case. After seeing a serious glance from across the room from both Reiko and Haruhi he lifted up his foot and slammed it on the ground, making Ebi flinch next to Kaoru. "As of today, the host club is disbanded and _cancelled_,"

Ebi widened her eyes and let her lips part as she watched Tamaki tilt his chin in the air and walk past her, and out the open doors. Slowly, the boys of the club followed and soon after them, the girls followed as well. Renge scoffed at Ebi and Kaoru as she held the door to the music room.

"Pfft, I wish you luck with this stupid mindless club," she spat, turning sharply on her heel before slamming the door. Ebi turned to Kaoru and let her mind race some more. She tried to find the logic in the situation and couldn't. Kaoru gripped her hand for a moment and she looked at him.

"I know we said we wouldn't do it again, but we need to, Ebi-chan," he pleaded, smiling. Ebi thought a moment before nodding, letting a soft smile develop on her lip.

"Kaoru and Ebi are back in business,"

* * *

><p><em>AN: I used two songs in this chapter. Wanna guess? Also, I am reading your reviews and stockpiling the information you are telling me and saving them for future chapters. Do not worry! Never fear! Moo-chan is here!_


	19. Stupid Cupid

_A/N: Oh my goodness, I love, love, love this chapter. I hope you do too!_

* * *

><p>The plan had been set. While they had missed the opportunity to celebrate Tamaki's birthday, Ebi decided it would be best for them to plan something for Mori's birthday that was only in a week. It was now spring, and while the cold winter had lifted, the awkwardness that filled the music room was strange. While Tamaki had "cancelled" the host club, Ebi would almost always find some of the ex-members hanging around in there, confusing her. Still, she would sit with Kaoru alone in another room or the hallway, the two figuring out just how to throw Mori a party without the group realizing it was a trap. Finally, it dawned on them; ask Mr. Ootori very politely if his police force could kidnap the members and bring them to the Hitachiin manor, even Hikaru. Of course, they were still unaware that they were also being played.<p>

Of course, the moment Kyoya was grabbed from his room that morning, he was sure it had something to do with the "curse" Reiko had come up with. Then, when he had been placed in a room with the rest of his friends, he smirked, observing all their similar expressions. He looked to Mori who held a knowing look.

"It's my birthday party," he assumed. Kyoya smirked, nodding.

"Is this a suitable curse breaker, Rei-chan?" watching as her smile grew before shaking her head.

"Not in the slightest!" she giggled, biting her lip as footsteps approached and the lights finally turned on.

"SURPRISE!"

The group turned to find Ebi and Kaoru dressed up, the Hitachiin manor staff behind them holding trays of food for the group. It was set down to the friends, but with the wink of Reiko's eye, the group kept their grim expressions.

"You think _this_ would make us like each other?" Renge spoke, glaring at Ebi and Kaoru. Their happy expressions fell and Ebi clenched her teeth, nervous.

"Huh?" she gulped, pointing at the three tier cake in front of Mori. "It's Mo-chan's birthday,"

Suddenly, Mori broke and smiled faintly. Kyoya eyed him and so did Kaoru.

"Do you like it, sempai?" he asked timidly. Mori watched as the members that couldn't be seen by the two widened their eyes at him. Mori gulped, knowing at least his _curse_ was up.

"Of course, you guys remembered my birthday," he paused, thinking fast as Ebi raised an eyebrow. "You guys really love us, huh?" he looked to the rest of the group , many of whom were looking on how to add to the discussion. Haruhi took care of the problem.

"You actually _believe_ in those two's supposed _love powers_?" she yelled, standing up. Reiko was next, clumsily slamming her hands on the table as she stood.

"Yeah!" she paused, gathering her courage to spew flat out lies. "That doesn't exist!"

Ebi and Kaoru watched as their friends continued to bicker, falling back against the wall behind them and sighing out. Ebi frowned deeply.

"I thought this would work," she mumbled. Kaoru shrugged, but watched as Mori approached them.

"Are you cured sempai, or are you going to punch me?" Kaoru asked, completely serious. Mori only laughed softly, earning a grin from Ebi, prompting her to hug him tightly. Kaoru gulped, the small ping of jealousy stinging his heart. Mori pulled back and looked at them, trying to ignore the façade behind him.

"I will help you two come up with a better plan,"

* * *

><p>Mori had struck gold by accidentally giving himself up to Ebi and Kaoru. By encouraging them to try again and go again with crazy ideas, he was able to become the groups' spy; for both teams, so to speak. What had been planned was a "celebration of friendship and love", which would not only include members and clients of the host club, but from the rest of the academy as well. Mori took this information back to the group and in turn, they planned what kind of work they would do to ensure that while Ebi and Kaoru worked to get the group's couples back together, they also felt the love. What also worried both groups was that graduation for Mori and Hunny was right around the corner, and that meant that there was only a few more months that Ebi would be in the country; something Ebi was very hesitant to talk about. Instead of prying any more, Mori helped them decide a date and the large invite list, making sure that the group understood the severity of them attending.<p>

It wasn't long until the group realized maybe they had bitten more off than they could chew. The spring night had arrived too quickly for Ebi, so unsure if she and Kaoru were going to be able to hook four couples up in one five hour night. It gave them an hour and fifteen minutes for each one of their friends, and to be honest, it would have been easier on Ebi's mind if she knew that the friends had already been informed of the "plans" Kaoru and her had developed in the last week.

* * *

><p><strong>Target one: The Shadow King and Queen<strong>

_I'll never beat you, I'll never lie, and if you're evil I'll forgive you by and by…_

After much secret spy work, Ebi clung to what she believed would wake up both Kyoya and Renge. Kaoru was already in place and with careful placement of a dance floor, Ebi persuaded Renge to dance with her a bit until Kyoya walked by. Soon, he was near and after he passed by Kaoru, who slipped something in his pocket, he tripped the poor man, and because Kyoya knew it was coming, he gracefully fell to floor, still making it believable as possible. Ebi made sure Renge was watching, even though she was displeased by her willingness to ignore him.

"Oh, come _on_ Kyoya, get up!" she joked, watching as Kaoru helped him up, Kyoya lightly pushing him off before tugging at his tux jacket. Ebi pretended to act shocked as she picked up the object that had fallen out of his pocket; Renge's engagement ring.

"What's that?" Kaoru asked, trying to look surprised as he shifted his eyes to Renge. She gulped, glancing at Kyoya.

"Why do you still have my engagement ring?" she asked, stepping closer to him. Kyoya simply sighed, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"It was only in case the curse _did_ get broken," he paused, looking at her as she formed tears in her eyes, trying to emit as much glow from her body as possible.

"Oh Kyoya, I think it already has!" she squealed, jumping on him excitedly. Ebi smiled cheekily at Kaoru before handing the ring over to Kyoya who (without faking) eagerly placed the ring back where it belonged on her hand.

"Will you still be my bride, my love?" he asked coyly. Renge just kissed him right there in front of the crowd that had gathered.

"Of course, my prince…" the two shared a moment and slowly, Kaoru grabbed Ebi's wrist, making sure they disappeared before anything changed. The moment they were out of ear shot, Renge couldn't help but laugh as she still held onto Kyoya's waist.

"I can't believe how stupid they are," she looked up to Kyoya who was only shaking his head.

"I can,"

* * *

><p><strong>Target two: The Sweethearts<strong>

_I know a guy who's tough but sweet…_

Because Ebi knew the key to Hunny's heart was sweets, she knew she had to make the batch of cupcakes she was going to give Reiko _extra_ sugary. The moment she approached Reiko, she could tell it was going to be more difficult than Renge and Kyoya had been. Already Reiko had her arms crossed, refusing to take the bag of mini-cupcakes from Ebi.

"Just go give them to Hunny-chan," Ebi pleaded, pouting a bit. "He may not believe in love right now, but I assure you, he can't stop loving cupcakes," she urged. Reiko kept her arms crossed tight and her lips pursed together. She shook her head. Ebi sighed, turning around and pretending to walk away before opening the bag and grabbing a cupcake quickly, knowing she would have to be a bit violent to the poor girl.

"Love cupcake, _go_!" she shouted, before throwing it straight at Reiko's face, the frosting making it easy to stick her face, but more importantly, her lips. Reiko lost her balance, but just as planned (by both sides) Kaoru had pushed Hunny to catch her, his arms cupping under her shoulders as she fell back.

"What…" Reiko muffled, looking up at Ebi who was only trying to contain her laughter. Hunny helped Reiko and looked up at her, holding back a smile.

"What's that smell?" he asked, Reiko pulling the cupcake away and rubbing at her face to wipe the frosting off. She shrugged, turning a bit.

"Probably just chocolate, Mitskuni," she mumbled, eyes low. Hunny suddenly gripped her wrist and turned her, surprising Kaoru and Ebi a bit as he leaned up to kiss her lips softly. Reiko widened her eyes a bit as he did so, watching as he peeled away and licked at his lips.

"Definitely chocolate," he spoke slyly, tilting his head in his usual cute manner. Reiko gulped for dramatics before wiping at her face again, blushing in reality at the act Hunny had just committed to.

Again Ebi and Kaoru peeled themselves away, rushing off with their new plan.

* * *

><p><strong>Target three: The Pranksters<strong>

The plan for Mei and Hikaru involved Ebi taking control of the music system, initiating some of Mei's favorite songs so she would feel inclined to not only dance, but teach the "dignified" students of Ouran Academy how to dance _dirty_. Kaoru stood next to his brother, smiling.

"What do you think of tonight?" he asked. Hikaru laughed.

"It sucks," he answered, looking to his brother. "What's with all this love music?" he asked. Kaoru sighed.

"Why, does it make you want to dance with Mei-chan?" he teased. Hikaru glared at his brother, without needing to fake it.

"Even if I did, she wouldn't want to dance with me," he chose to respond. Kaoru chuckled, shaking his head.

"You underestimate your brother," he simply spoke before shoving at Hikaru, holding his shoulders as he made him through the dance crowd before colliding him with Mei. "You guys are the masters of not only jokes, but synchronized dance," he laughed, looking up at Ebi who quickly changed the song. "So, _dance_!" he shouted.

The two looked at each other before reluctantly taking their time to connect themselves by the hands as the song began.

_We can dance until we die, you and I, we'll be young forever_…

Kaoru watched as Ebi quickly ran into the crowd, making sure there was enough space for everyone to see Mei and Hikaru perform their (completely rehearsed) dance. Knowing it would be an upbeat song, Mei and Hikaru wooed the crowd, Ebi leaning back against Kaoru as she watched them urge other couples to join in. Kaoru grinned, looking down to find Ebi already looking back at him. It was time to reunite quite possibly the most important couple in the host club.

* * *

><p><strong>Target four: The True Lovers<strong>

Haruhi was deeply nervous about what she knew was about to happen. However, she knew her secret had to come out sooner or later. After learning that Mori had suggested that Ebi and Kaoru expose her, she was hesitant, but realized it wouldn't be _too_ bad for her reputation. After all, she already had the important people in her life; she wasn't worried about what anybody else thought. So, as she entered the room in a dress, which wasn't too abnormal, she gulped, watching as Ebi approached her.

"Let's go to the dance floor," she grinned. "They are going to announce who is the king and queen of love!"

Haruhi chuckled a bit, trying to make it sound as sarcastic as possible. As the two girls made it to the center of the crowd, they observed Kaoru standing on the upper stage, a microphone in his hand, already talking. Haruhi gulped, obviously nervous.

"Our king of love is…" he paused. "Tamaki Suoh!" he shouted.

Soon, Tamaki made his way reluctantly to the stage, glancing at the excited crowd and then Kaoru who was unaware of the reason why Tamaki was so anxious.

"…and our queen…"

The moment Haruhi's name was uttered, the crowd grew confused, and then even more rambunctious she made her way to stand next to Tamaki. She gulped, tugging at her dress a bit before Ebi urged the crowd a bit.

"Fujioka is a _girl_?" she hissed, making the crowd grow a bit rowdy, causing Tamaki to throw his arms in the air and grab the microphone.

"Haruhi is more than a girl!" he shouted, his head seemingly growing larger. "She is _my_ girl!" he proclaimed. Haruhi couldn't help but giggle at his actions, yanking her hand and pushing her to his side. "and our love will never be forbidden again!"

Ebi chuckled as the crowd continued to question them, sighing as Kaoru approached her, the two embracing in a hug.

"It worked," Ebi let go, laughing some more. Kaoru squeezed her a bit more before nodding.

"That it did,"

* * *

><p><strong>Secret Target: The Matchmakers<strong>

Ebi leaned against the balcony, enjoying the light breeze that occasionally blew by. The night was still young, and while the party was dying down, she was happy that her friends were back to normal. Still unaware of the deeper plot, she closed her eyes, only humming slightly when the presence of a body neared.

"Hika-chan said you wanted me to meet you out here…" Kaoru placed his hands on the balcony as well, but observed as Ebi flinched slightly, turning her head to look up at him.

"Huh?" she paused before giggling. "I think your brother set you up again, Kao-chan," she teased, reaching up to ruffle his hair. Kaoru tried to smile back, but felt somewhat hurt by his brother's prank; more than he should have. Ebi noticed and peeled her hand away, biting her lip.

"What's wrong, Kaoru?" she whispered.

"I just feel a bit left out," he admitted, skewing his mouth to the side and glancing away. "It's the life of a matchmaker, right?" he joked, forcing a laugh at his own words. Ebi sighed, tilting her head slightly.

"You don't _have_ to be left out, Kaoru," she urged, eyeing the doors where she could still see some people dancing. "Why don't you go find a cute girl and ask her to dance?" she smiled, gulping away the strange feeling of jealousy the tapped on her heart. Kaoru watched the gleam in her eye fall for a moment and he briefly licked his lips, looking for courage.

"I already have a girl," he suddenly said, making both of them look at each other with wide eyes.

"Wh-?"

Ebi let herself choke on her gasp, lifting her hand to press at her mouth as she chocked on her own breath, leaning back a bit. She had taken the sentence a lot worse than she expected, but upon finally opening her eyes, she found Kaoru's arm reached out and around her waist and his other hand reaching for her face. Ebi let her eyes droop a bit as his face drew closer to hers and finally closed them as she felt the tingle of another pair of lips near her own.

"_Ebi-chan_!"

Plans never go according to plan, do they?

Kaoru and Ebi gasped and peeled away from each other, glancing to find Hunny running at them and reaching for Ebi. He paused however as he opened his eyes after screaming and gasped himself.

"Oh no, I ruined it, didn't I?" he asked, pouting profusely.

Ebi glanced at Kaoru and he only shrugged, the two moving to console the boy (who was eighteen, mind you). Soon, more of their friends spilled out onto the balcony and while Hunny kept his mouth shut, some of the members could sense what was going on. As Ebi moved to hug Kaoru goodbye, so she could go home with Haruhi, the group watched as they hesitated to let go, their expressions hiding something from all of them. Was it a good thing, or a bad thing?

Even Kaoru and Ebi didn't know.

_Stupid cupid, stop picking on me_…

* * *

><p><em>AN: Is it selfish to ask for more reviews? I saw the crazy amount of hits this story is getting and I am so crazy thankful for those who review regularly, but alas, some of you have forsaken me. Moooooo_


	20. Young at Heart

_A/N: I've got a few things up my hooves, but no flowers, because I am not a magic cow. However, I have something special for you, again, at the end of the chapter. Oh yeah, did I mention this was the last chapter? O_O_

* * *

><p>Hikaru was surprised to find his brother in such low spirits after the successful party. Judging by the way he and Ebi interacted during the still undiscovered façade made every body think their love would finally blossom. Instead, they were friendly, but the two still frowned after too much happiness, possibly realizing the inevitable; Ebi was leaving at the end of the month. It was not only too late for a relationship, but it was unfair to both of them to try and figure things out. Still, Hikaru disagreed, wanting nothing more than for his brother to do something before she left; give Ebi a reason to either stay, or come back. However, he also knew his twin, and knew just how dense he could be. The group decided, though to leave them be; whatever would be, would be.<p>

Being the beginning of June, it was now time for the twins to celebrate their birthday, and after agreeing that there had been too many large parties in the last few months, including the large graduation party Hunny had held the past week had the twins wanting to do something small for a change. It was a Sunday night, but seeing as though school was out, the birthday party and sleepover went as planned, the friends just enjoying each other's company after the cake and presents had been taken care of. On the large space of room that was the twin's bedroom, the gang sat, laughing at stories of the potential near future.

"University should be fun, huh, Takashi?" Hunny mused, looking at his cousin. Mori nodded, glanced at Kyoya who was smiling as well.

"What will the seniors do?" he asked, looking at him now. Kyoya shrugged, but Renge leaned over and beamed.

"Plan our wedding, duh!" she giggled, looking at Kyoya. His face tinted red slightly, but allowed himself to laugh with her.

"We will have to try to keep the club open as well," he encouraged, looking at Tamaki.

"It can work!" he glanced at Haruhi. "Now that we have female members, we can reach a new clientele," Haruhi looked over at Ebi who was listening, but with a saddened gleam in her head.

"Ebi-chan, you'll visit us right?" she finally spoke, making the group look at the girl. Ebi offered a small smile, unsure of how to answer.

"I can't make promises," she paused when Hikaru and Haruhi frowned deeply. "Well, I mean, I'll be in school…" she trailed off, her eyes shooting off to the wall. Hunny leaned over his folded knees with big eyes.

"But Ebi-chan!" he pouted. "You _have_ to visit!" he looked to Kaoru who immediately blushed just as hard as Kyoya had just a few moments ago. Hikaru noticed and cleared his throat, looking at Ebi.

"I understand Ebi," he smiled sincerely. "Just don't forget about us," he encouraged. Ebi sighed, relieved that he had given her a break.

The conversation moved back to Renge and Kyoya's wedding plans that would most likely come to fruition at the end of the school year. Kaoru, who had been silent finally glanced over at Ebi, who almost instantly glanced back at him, the two sharing a knowing look. Ebi really did have engagements back home she needed to take care of. His heart began to ache again. Soon, the friends succumbed to the night and retired to the multiple guest rooms that were set up, and when Hikaru realized Mei and Ebi were sharing a room, he politely asked her to stay in his bed while he took hers. In Hikaru's language, it meant Ebi was once again pushed into being alone with Kaoru thanks to quick thinking. While the air wasn't awkward, the two remained silent, the two trying to figure out what to say. Finally, Ebi looked over at Kaoru where he still sat on the floor across from her, his eyes expectant of what she was to say.

"Well, Happy Birthday Kaoru…" she whispered, not looking at him. Kaoru sighed, bringing up his knees and wrapping his arms around them.

"Thanks Ebi," he gulped as her eyes finally met his. "Are you… really going?" Ebi copied his body stance and rested her chin on her knee.

"I don't want to," she mumbled, blinking slowly. "I really wanted to study abroad but I didn't get accepted, and it's not like I'm a citizen, or have a visa…" she looked up at him sadly. "I have to finish at least a year of school before I can come back full-time," she let out a long sigh as Kaoru frowned even more.

"We're all going to miss you Ebi…"

Ebi looked over at Kaoru once more and watched as he extended out his legs, his breathing audibly labored. She tilted her head, a little concerned by his sudden change in behavior. He gulped, occasionally glancing up to see what she was doing in response.

"Kaoru…" she leaned a little bit towards him, eager to know what was going on in his head.

"I think you know what I'm going to say," he slumped a bit, tilting his head so she could see his eyes in the darkened room. "We've been ignoring something for too long, and now it seems it will just disappear completely..."

"It doesn't have to," Ebi spoke suddenly, letting her arms peel away from her knees. Kaoru snapped his head up, lips poised open. "What happened that night Kao-chan?" she asked, referring back to the celebration of love they had planned for their friends. Kaoru gulped as she waited for an answer. His heart raced.

"I lied to you, Ebi," he spoke, referring to another time. Ebi looked at him, a little confused. Kaoru leaned a little more towards her. "I was stupid to think I could just hand you over to sempai and get over you,"

"You were going to kiss me…" she then proceeded to chew on her lip, noting how Kaoru had scooted so he was right in front of her. He was holding an anxious pose, breathing still labored. Finally, he nodded.

"…like I've always wanted to,"

Kaoru clenched his teeth after that, wondering if he had just messed up again. Ebi was staring at him, no words coming from her lips. She gulped again before she moved her arms slightly away from her knees. Kaoru sighed, closing his eyes as she moved to wrap her arms around his neck, her eyes holding a heavy guilt. Kaoru held her just as tight, breathing out as she rested her cheek on his shoulder.

"You aren't making this easy for me, Kaoru," she tried to joke, her breath hitching in an obvious sob. Kaoru peeled her away to find tears had started to prickle down her cheeks, her lips poised apart as she smiled bashfully. He instinctively cupped his hand on her cheek and she sighed, leaning into it as she rattled out another breath. "I…I'm really going to miss you," she pursed her lips together then, closing her eyes tight as more tears pushed at her lids. Kaoru let his own emotions bellow up until they were both clutching to each other, simply sobbing over what was known, but not spoken.

It was far too late for them now.

* * *

><p>Mr. Kochi could tell his daughter was faking happiness as she pranced around with her friends in his apartment, the large group gathered to make Ebi's goodbye less tearful. Still, he could tell she was unhappy about leaving for more than just the loss of good friends; what he had wished all along for his daughter must have happened; she had fallen in love. And judging by the way she acted around him, he knew it had been the Hitachiin boy he himself was rooting for. Her flight home was in the morning, and while he knew she wasn't leaving forever, it sure felt that way. It was almost as bad as when he and her mother got divorced and he moved back to Japan; he felt like he was losing his daughter all over. Still, the older man sat silently, drinking sake and occasionally talking with the equally stoic Mori. The plan was the friends would stay over, and instead of making a commotion at the airport, the friends would part at the Kochi residence so Ebi could be alone with her father before she left.<p>

The situation was nerve wracking, and it wasn't surprising that hardly anybody fell asleep right away; especially Ebi. At 2am, she was still out on the patio, her eyes scanning the surrounding environment she had gotten so used to in the last year. She couldn't believe it wasn't going to be there within the next 24 hours. It wasn't long before the doors slid open once more and Ebi smiled softly as she saw Mori holding a soft expression as he came to stand and lean over the balcony with her. She appreciated his friendship and comfort with her. She sighed, closing her eyes.

"Mo-chan, you are my favorite ninja," she laughed, watching as Mori still blushed at her words. He then looked at her, and she knew what he was getting to.

"Are you really leaving without resolving this?" he asked. Ebi sighed, knowing he probably wasn't the only one wondering that. Ebi shook her head.

"I think Kaoru understands," she swallowed hard, trying to gather her thoughts. "It's going to be hard to deal with the loneliness, but we both have a lot of growing up to do," Mori smirked.

"Won't you be 19 in a few months?" he asked. Ebi rolled her eyes.

"I'm young at heart, Mori," she let out a long sigh. "There's still a lot I need to take care of back home, including school," she looked at him once more. Mori peered at her a bit longer.

"I know you'll be back soon enough," he smiled then, and after a knowing look, he departed, her head about to turn back to the city skyline when she noticed a new person was near her. Looking back to the door, she found Kaoru sliding it closed, his face holding a nervous expression.

"Hey," she breathed when he finally approached her. Kaoru nodded before leaning over the ledge just as she was. "You know you'll see me again, right?" she asked, turning her head so he could see her. Kaoru simply nodded, his eyes still holding a hazy glare.

"There's just so much left unsaid," he whispered, looking off into the distance. Ebi nodded, but moved so she was closer to him, inching her hand over so it was on top of his.

"I have a lot to think about while I'm gone, Kaoru," she offered a smile and watched as he turned a little so he was facing her more. She lifted her gaze to his. "When I come back I want to be able to love you without having to worry about _anything_ else…" she licked her lips nervously as his eyes scanned her face, taking in what she had just said.

Instead of ruining the moment with words, Kaoru finally got something right and kissed the girl that was with him in that moment. It was bittersweet, and even though the two smiled after they parted, their foreheads touching, their eyes held the sadness that came with their undeclared love. In that moment, the two finally realized the connection their friends had been talking about all this time.

Love.

* * *

><p>"<em>Ebi-chan<em>!" Hunny was crying rather loudly as he clung to Ebi's waist, his head buried in her stomach as she tried to console him. "Don't leave us!" he sobbed once more, finally letting go as Reiko touched his shoulder, offering a soft smile. He clung to her instead, still wiping at his face as Ebi moved to give a hug to his girlfriend. From her she moved to Hikaru and Mei, who both had made her a friendship bracelet.

"When you come back," Mei started, as she tied it on her wrist. "If I don't see this on your wrist…" Hikaru laughed.

"We won't talk to you at all," they said in unison. Ebi laughed lightly.

"You guys have turned into the shadow pair," she joked. Renge giggled, pulling Ebi to her for a tight hug.

"Hopefully Kyoya and I's wedding will bring you back to Japan," she beamed at Ebi, as Kyoya nodded, lightly hugging her as well.

"It would be unfortunate if you did not make it," he added.

Ebi nodded, finally turning to hug Mori, who was holding a pout just as devastating as Hunny's. She felt a tight squeeze before she smiled, knowing they had their discussion the night before. Turning to Haruhi and Tamaki, she found Tamaki holding back tears, knowing he was only sad because Haruhi was practically crying, just not as much as Hunny. As the girls embraced, Haruhi chuckled.

"You've been an awesome friend," Ebi peeled away to look at her.

"And I'll continue to be," she encouraged, before hugging Tamaki as well.

Finally the group watched a little eagerly as Ebi and Kaoru hugged, surprised at the lack of an announcement of what their relationship had transitioned to, if that had even happened. Still, their hug was just as long as the others were, but when they parted, their eyes held a locking stare for a moment before Ebi's dad finally urged her to get going. Ebi pulled away from Kaoru and squeezed his hand slightly before moving to stand next to her dad. The last goodbyes were said and soon, the group was standing on the side of the street, waving as Mr. Kochi's car pulled away, Ebi's arm waving back until they were out of sight. As the group said their own goodbyes, they decided to regroup in the morning to write a letter to send to Ebi.

As Hikaru looked over at his brother in the back of their town car, he was surprised to find a soft smile. Raising an eyebrow, Hikaru nudged his brother and glared. Kaoru raised an eyebrow back, a light amused look in his eyes.

"What?" he laughed. Hikaru narrowed his eyes even more, now suspicious.

"Did something good happen?" he asked. Kaoru sighed before glancing down.

"Hika-chan, don't be offended…" he looked at his twin once more. "But I'm going to keep it to myself for now," Hikaru widened his eyes and leaned towards his brother as Kaoru looked back out the window again, noting the planes in the sky, off in the distance.

"Did you get _laid_!" Hikaru asked without an answer. Kaoru smiled more as his brother continued to ramble, closing his eyes in thought. "Because if you did… remember that I said I'd make sure it was your last!"

As Hikaru trailed off into a tangent, Kaoru sighed, content with how he was feeling. He knew it was going to be a hard couple of weeks and even months until he was able to see Ebi once again. While nothing had been made out in the open, he was positive she knew how he felt, as he knew what she felt. It had been a wild year for his emotions, and yet, Kaoru wouldn't have had it any either way. As his mind drifted further, he couldn't help but think of her face once more, grinning up at him.

_Fairytales can come true, it can happen to you… if you're young at heart_

* * *

><p><em>AN: So… I was kind of lying. There is an Epilogue coming, which also bears a secret. Warning though, if you don't like bears, don't read the Epilogue. Ha. Also, be on the lookout for a one-shot I plan to post this weekend that is based on an AU of this story. I will most likely post it at the same time as the epilogue that will include other gifts like hamburgers for my lovely readers. And as always, reviews are much, much appreciated._


	21. Engage: An Epilogue

Confrontation. It was something Ebi had never been good at, and was the very thing she was terrified of. In recent months, the fear of confrontation became an even larger burden on her shoulders; she had finally been accepted into an abroad program after earning enough credits for the program. Her destination, where she had wanted to be for last year; Japan. So, with more excitement flowing through her veins now than the previous year, she called her father up and hopped on a plane. That's where the confrontation came in.

Ebi had neglected to tell Haruhi, who she had been in regular contact with since she left, that she would be back so suddenly. Last time Ebi talked to her, she wasn't sure if she would make the abroad program after all. There was more news than that; she was due to be at the same University as Hunny and Mori. The hardest part was choosing to surprise them rather than tell anyone in advance.

So, Ebi sat in her father's apartment, smiling at the way her room had been untouched over the year. Even though she was now twenty years old, she wasn't fazed by the fact she was still living with her father. He always had the best intentions for her and always agreed to help her out, even when it was a crazy scheme like the one she was placing into action today. Ebi had encouraged her father to invite Haruhi down to give her a letter from Ebi and when she was least expecting it, Ebi would come out and surprise her. When the door clicked open, Ebi felt a grin spread across her face.

"…oh everything is great between us," no doubt Haruhi was referencing to Tamaki. Peeking around the corner she found her friends still in the boy's uniform of Ouran academy, politely placing her briefcase and shoes down on the ground before following her dad to the living area.

"How goes the Hitachiin brothers?" Ebi flattened her expression, knowing her father was asking purely to make her nervous. He was still hoping there would be something between her and a certain twin. Haruhi sighed.

"Hika-chan and Mei-chan are still casually dating…"

While she paused, Ebi held her breath, suddenly wondering about what Haruhi was going to say. The last time she asked about Kaoru, Haruhi had implied that he seemed to be back to his normal self, but every time Haruhi brought news of Ebi, his eyes softened. There was still something hiding in his brain.

"Kao-chan is…ok," Haruhi sighed, as did Ebi.

Finally, Ebi's father cleared his throat and pulled out a letter, one that the two had fabricated.

_Haruhi, I am writing to let you know that my scholarship has gone through and I should be able to start school in Japan very soon. You may see me sooner than you expect!_

Haruhi's gasp made Ebi stifle a laugh.

"When will she be back?" she suddenly asked excitedly. Ebi watched as her father's eyes trailed to the ceiling, pondering in thought. Ebi couldn't take it any longer and finally jumped out with a wide smile, making Haruhi nearly topple over the table as she stood up, the two friends embracing in a tight hug. "Are you _serious_?" she asked, peeling away before playfully smacking her friend. Ebi beamed even more.

"Yes," she giggled, trying her hardest not to start laughing at Haruhi's shocked face. "Now come on, I've been hiding for a week and I want to see everybody!" Haruhi first widened her eyes even more before holding her friend at arm's length.

"You'll have to wait one more day, Ebi-chan…" a small smile came across her lips. "Hunny is throwing a party tomorrow and I think it will be perfect for you to surprise the group then,"

The two girls shared an excited smile one more time, and after a short squeal, Mr. Kochi calmed the girls down enough to start talking again. So much was going through Haruhi's mind as she watched Ebi talk about her year in America, wondering how long her friend would be back. She was guaranteed for another year, but she didn't want another repeat of last year; there was too much angst and lost chances. She hoped that, for once, Ebi could be happy in Japan like the group was.

* * *

><p>Suddenly, Ebi felt like throwing up. Even though she had nothing in her stomach, she could feel it turning in all directions as Haruhi smuggled her into the party at Hunny's mansion. Luckily, the group had been gathered on the opposite side of the building, and it was easy for Ebi to find refuge in one of the bathrooms until Haruhi came to get her. Ebi found herself leaning over a large marble sink, simply staring at herself in the mirror. Her thoughts turned anxious; she felt stupid for hiding the fact she was coming back and that she was now here. Gulping, she moved her shaky hands to comb through her hair, sighing at the familiar side-pony the group had grown familiar to. Closing her eyes, she started mumbling to herself in English, trying her hardest to calm her nerves. Suddenly, there came a tapping at the door and she flinched, causing her right toes that were hanging over her high-heel sandal to hit the counter. She hissed, and bit her lip to subside the pain but still let out a <em>"shit<em>" that made the voice outside suddenly sound urgent. Not catching the words, Ebi moved to open the door when she froze. Her hand gripped the handle tighter as she peered up at the person at the door, a similar expression being mirrored back at her. First, she noticed his eyes before noting the longer strands of hair that were now on his head.

"Kaoru…" her voice was merely a whisper and at the end of her word her voice cracked, her heart finally coming to as she realized she wasn't dreaming. Kaoru's eyes stayed wide as his hand fell back from the door to his side before his lips parted and began to quiver.

"Ebi…" finally, his eyes calmed, but even Ebi could hear the sound of his heart racing from where she stood inches away from him. "Wh-what?" his question trailed as he found it hard to talk before Ebi smiled sheepishly.

"Surprise?" she offered, finally letting go of the door handle so she could extend her arm out to him. The two awkwardly moved to figure out some sort of appropriate embrace when Ebi let herself smile at the voice of Karou's brother.

"_Kao-chan_!" he yelled from the end of the hall. "You take too long! Even Haru-chan is rushing-"

Suddenly Hikaru caught onto what was going on as Haruhi rushed past him, gritting her teeth as she realized Kaoru had already discovered Ebi.

"Well…" she laughed at Ebi as the girl moved past a still dumbstruck Kaoru. "I guess the cat's out of the bag,"

Haruhi looked back to find Hikaru running through the somewhat empty hallway, a beaming smile on his face as he ran and scooped up Ebi, twirling her around as her stomach pressed against his face, arms flailing as she trying to keep her balance. Finally Hikaru put her down and as a kiss met her forward, she reached up to hug the Hitachiin back.

"Is this a prank?" he looked to Kaoru, thinking he was behind it before glancing to Haruhi who was laughing, obviously in charge.

As Hikaru urged Haruhi to get the others to join them in a somewhat private area, Ebi couldn't help but glance back at Kaoru who seemed to have lost all color in his face. He was uncharacteristically quiet and even though his eyes soon met hers, she knew that he too was having a hard time believing she was really there. Hikaru came back after sending Haruhi off with a curious look pointed at Kaoru.

"Ebi-chan isn't a _ghost_, you know," he joked, pulling her back into a sideways hug. "Have you even told her what's different about you yet?" a sly smile appeared on Hikaru's face and Ebi glanced back to find Kaoru's expressions strained.

"Huh?" she asked. Kaoru gulped audibly but didn't answer, sighing. He moved to distract the conversation and finally embrace Ebi when his brother spoiled the moment.

"Kaoru has a _girlfriend_!"

Ebi's heart froze, but luckily her brain continued to function. As she watched Hikaru deliver the news as if he was telling them about the weather, she couldn't help but be hurt. Sure, there was nothing between her and Kaoru in the present moment, but there had been the last time she was here. Quickly, as Hikaru's expression began to fall as he looked at her, she realized how she must have looked and let a small jolt flinch her body back to Kaoru, this time producing a grin; one that didn't reach her eyes. Kaoru stood with his arms awkwardly poised towards her as she tilted her head slightly.

"That's great news, Kao-chan," she insisted, licking her lips nervously as her hand met the side of his arm. "Really," she tried to hold the smile as much as she could, but as what sounded like the crowd of the host club neared and the twins turned their heads, she let her smile fall for a brief second, trying everything she could to hold back her silent pain. Almost instantly, she turned back to see Hunny running at her full speed, arms spread and eyes flowing with tears.

"_EBI-CHAN!_" he screamed as she leaned down to catch him, letting him twist them around a couple of times before he pulled away to wipe at his still childish tears. The man/boy was the same age as her and yet acted just as young as Haruhi. "I thought I would never see you again!" he announced.

Ebi laughed with him before pulling away to see the rest of the group eagerly awaiting a hug as well. Reiko was next, wearing a large smile for somebody who associated with "dark things". Mei butted in front of Tamaki and soon after them it came down to the shadow kind and queen. After leaving the small hug that Kyoya offered, Ebi looked nervously up at the man she had grown to love as a best friend and almost brother. Mori offered a small smile as the two hugged tightly, and as they parted, he noted the sad glimmer in her eyes. Looking up, he found Kaoru also staring at her, his face pained. Not wanting to let the rest of the group start deducting information on their own, he looked to Hunny who was already staring at him.

"Don't you have an announcement to make?" he asked. Hunny's eyes instantly lit up and he moved his hands away from Reiko's to tug at his jacket. Mori raised an eyebrow.

"I've changed my mind," he beamed. "I'll tell you first, then tell the crowd!" he smiled wide and then looked at Reiko. She raised an eyebrow, her arms already held defensively to her chest.

"What exactly are you telling them?" she asked timidly. Hunny simply titled his head to the side and grinned with his eyes closed.

"That we're getting married, _silly_!" he announced.

While most of the group let gasps go, Reiko just let her jaw drop to the floor. Her black eyes widened until there was no traces of white left. Ebi couldn't help but chuckle as she leaned against Mori, who seemed just as surprised as Reiko was.

"W-when…" her words were soft as she struggled to stay standing, Hunny finally reaching out to grasp her arm.

"How bout' November!" he answered, not understanding what she was getting at. Finally, Reiko looked at Hunny urgently and he snapped back to reality. "Reiko-chan, I love you," he smiled, earning a bright blush from the young girl. "I want to get married so we can be a family!" he gripped her hand tight and Reiko gulped, her smile faltering as her eyes started to brim with tears.

"A…family?" she responded timidly. Hunny didn't bother to shorten himself further by getting down on a knee and instead dug into his jacket pocket before pulling out a very simple, but generous golden band with a few diamonds. Reiko let a hand snap to her mouth as Hunny smiled up at her, sharing the same watery eyes.

"Reiko, will you marry me?" he asked.

The entire group didn't bother to tense, knowing this was bound to happen sooner or later. Reiko quickly nodded her head and accepted the ring on her finger, and allowed him to leap onto her, the usually ant-PDA girl letting him plant a kiss to her lips. Ebi sighed lovingly as she observed the scene of friends surrounding the couple, glancing up at Mori who had since then seemed content after a mild freak-out. Quickly the group found themselves back in the main room and after the official announcement, the party took off, guests coming and going from the group's table with congratulations in tow. Ebi watched as Renge prodded Kyoya about why they weren't planning their wedding to be as soon as Reiko's and couldn't help but smile. Mori still stood by her against a nearby pillar, thankful that she had a somewhat barrier between her and anybody else. She didn't feel good about being prodded for questions, and seemingly, the group understood that too. She thought she had her luck cut out for her until she glanced to see a girl talking to Mori, a bright smile on her face. Mori seemed unfazed by her talking and when she glanced over at Ebi, her expression changed.

"You must be Ebi-san," she extended an arm and silently, but politely Ebi shook her hand, noting the bright diamond bracelet on her wrist.

"You are…" Ebi watched as the girl lifted her free hand to push her hair behind her ear and shoulder before flashing a million dollar smile.

"Miyu," was all she answered.

Ebi nodded slowly before watching as the girl looked back to Mori, sharing a small look before the girl moved towards the table. Ebi was about to question Mori when she found the girl standing next to Kaoru, her arm moving to slither around his waist, the other hand moving her champagne glass to her lips. Mori noticed her pained expression and moved to place an arm around Ebi's waist, turning her towards him.

"Ebi," he bit his lip, knowing he shouldn't be leaving off honorifics after such a long time apart. Ebi didn't seem to mind when she turned to him, a soft smile on her lips but tears glazing over her eyes.

"Mo-chan," she started before taking in a deep breath. "It's ok," she peered up at the concerned man. "What else could have I expected when I came back?" she laughed softly and Mori was about to probe further when Haruhi approached, a breathless smile on her face.

"Plan on dancing?" she asked, looking hopeful. Ebi shrugged, noting the way Mori still wrapped his arm around her protectively.

"I'm not feeling it at the moment, Haru-chan," she sighed and subconsciously allowed her eyes to trail towards the couple that was causing her heart pain at the moment. Haruhi followed her eyes before letting a low sigh go.

"I'm so sorry Ebi," she paused, reaching out to touch her friend's arm supportively. "It's my fault for not warning you," she muttered. Ebi shook her head.

"I'm not going to fret over it, as long as you guys agree to let the situation play out on its own…" she paused, trying to push forward a smile. "Without what Tamaki calls 'divine host intervention',"

Haruhi nodded and shared a soft smile with her friend, noting the way Mori still looked at the foreign girl as well. Her thoughts changed quickly and she sighed.

"What do you suppose _will_ happen?" she asked, not aiming it at anybody in particular. Ebi let a soft breath go before she let her genuine smile grace her lips.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and find out…"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Oh noes! Not a cliffhanger! Not a cliffhanger in the EPOLOUGE! What does this mean, you ask? What do you think? It means there is a sequel! DUH. Well, only if you __**want**__ to see a sequel… :3. Also, I posted that AU one-shot. It's called "Another Lifetime" and if you can't find it on the regular posting list, find it in my profile. Moo. See you soon in __**Four Weddings and a Shrimp**__!_


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